I-Brew, U-Brew, We all e-Brew!

Mmm-hmmm, I do love a good eBrew. As one patron said, "Ever notice whenever the economy goes in the tank, the eBrew is always rockin?!" Ain't it the truth! If you missed the eBrew last night, here's my brief debriefing.

News from the eCoast Wi-Fi front: Fear not, progress is quietly being made. My sources say Cisco and the city are working on siting the access points. Of course, the topography of the town is tricky, and then there are the permissions to deal with. There's at least one WAP sited and successfully testing now; hopefully, we'll have more in place for spring. Good to see eCoast Wi-Fi co-founding fathers Erik (Port City Web) and Dave (BayRing) in attendance last night, too.

Was happy to hear from the guys at Savvy Software that business is still strong. I have long said the SavvyCM product was great; the market just needed to be educated on the idea that web sites should and can be updated regularly and easily. The more people understand the power and the value of a truly user-friendly CMS, the better Savvy does, and it seems the idea is reaching its tipping point.

SilverOven was represented; I can't recall the last time that happened, if it ever has. Welcome aboard, guys!

Speaking of Flywire, it was awesome to see Jody LaRue again. He's now chief creative at VisionaryFX, who do some pretty awesome 3D work.

And old pal Steve Long (Webricators) was holding court with a demo of his odometer widget, a clever little app that measures distances on your online map.

Hatchling was in full force, as per usual. They've got a new president, Mr. Mark Samber, and continue to win awards left and right. While Mark with a k runs OPS, Marc with a c (founder & CEO) can focus on the vision. This will prove to be a potent combination, mark my words!

Good talks with the TeBuMi contingent from Newburyport, too. TeBuMi is shorthand for TEchnical BUsiness MIxer, BTW. Peter, I'm hoping to make one of your shindigs someday soon!

Thanks to Tim, our bartender for the evening, who took good care of us right up til 7:59. And to Paul McAskill (The Compass Points) for sponsoring.

Oh, and don't forget to join the e-Coast group on Facebook!

Foster's: Australian for Lay-Offs, Mate?

A short while back I wrote on the curious decision by Fosters to switch to being
amorning paper.  Today, I saw this news about layoffs.  Mere coincidence?  Or is
there a connection?  Anyway, I wish both the laid-off and the still-employed the
best of luck during this difficult transition period.

In the Waiting Room at the Car Dealership

Thumbing through the February BusinessNH magazine in the waiting room at SeacoastVW... Which has no wi-fi, BTW, although they do have an Ethernet hook-up for you, if you're into that sort of thing. Anyway, the magazine cover "The New Tech Wave" caught my eye with the promise of spotlighting some hot new high-tech companies in the state. And there is actually one that looked interesting. Netrocity Design & Information Systems in MancheVegas "creates specialized news filters that collect thousands of news items -- including blogs, news feeds, e-mail news alerts, and subscription-based sites -- and turns them into event radar maps that show trends and patterns in less than a minute."


Not surprisingly, this sort of thing would have interesting applications, and a presidential primary campaign (Mitt Romney's) seems to be a perfect fit. Check out the sample here.

The profile states that subscriptions start at $880 per year, and that Netrocity won SwaNH's "Rookie of the Year" award last year. Whether Netro is a Joe Charboneau-type (a rookie flameout) or a Cal Ripken-type rookie remains to be seen, but the tech is intriguing.
Page 45... An ad reminds us of NHHTC Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Deadline April 15. Hmmm... Isn't that also a deadline for something else?

Further flipping, I notice my friends at SilverTech have won another web design award - a Gold from American Design Awards - for its Life is Good site. Congrats guys!

Inside back cover is a big ad that looks to be inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey promoting an event presented by the magazine. New Hampshire: 2018 will be at the Center of NH on March 11. Old friend Ross Gittell will be one of four featured speakers. $35 a head. If you go, let me know!

Providence as High-Tech Hub? Sure, why not?

Interesting article in today's Boston Globe by Carolyn Johnson about efforts by Providence, Rhode Island, to cast itself as a high-tech hub. eCoast gets a mention, although it's hard to tell if it's a positive or a negative. We'll call it neutral. Anyway, looks like they're serious... It's an official effort by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. They branded it RINexus (a little Matrixy but we'll allow it) and have launched a fairly impressive web site to support the effort. Here's their "About" verbiage.

RI Nexus is a public-private initiative of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to support and grow the state's info-tech and digital media sector. RI Nexus aims to help transform the sector's collection of organizations, individuals, and initiatives into a highly interconnected statewide industry cluster by:

• Helping the sector's stakeholders to connect, communicate, and collaborate
• Nurturing a culture that recognizes and celebrates entrepreneurship and innovation
• Streamlining access to support resources relevant to entrepreneurs and innovators
• Promoting Rhode Island's dynamic info-tech & digital media sector beyond our borders

If you look at the ingredients necessary to for this sort of thing to flourish, as UNH Prof. Ross Gittell has, you'd think they actually have a pretty good shot at developing an attractive technology-based economy down there. They've got the proximity to major cities, universities, and cultural/recreational attractions. Too bad their state-wide wi-fi initiative has fallen by the wayside.

No Fair Point, No More

Well, it looks like it's all over but the shouting. Despite well organized opposition, the Fair Point-Verizon deal is going through.

Ashley Smith does a tremendous job recapping the whole long sordid tale in a folksy Q & A article for the Nashua Telegraph : In case you haven't heard, it's official: Verizon is leaving the landline and DSL business in New Hampshire. Barring a successful appeal, the name FairPoint Communications will soon appear on your telephone bill. Read on...

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for the citizens and businesses of Northern New England remains to be seen. Wither FiOS? Is DSL going to be good enough? But at least we know the process worked. This deal was thoroughly vetted in all 3 states. And the unions made their voices heard loud and clear; in their opposition to the deal, the Communications Workers Union and the IBEW scored at least a moral victory.

No doubt this will be a major topic of conversation at the Regional Broadband Forums being hosted around the state by NH DRED. “These forums are of vital importance in determining where our opportunities, needs, challenges and obstacles lie in terms of telecommunications infrastructure,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Director Michael Vlacich.

For times and locations, visit DRED's newsroom.

I wish I could attend this Friday morning's session at Pease, but I have at least 2 meeting schedule conflicts. Hopefully someone will catch me up?

Portsmouth Wins National Recognition

Being a Portsmouth Rah-Rah Booster, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this: The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Portsmouth, New Hampshire, one of its 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destinations.

National Trust said: Portsmouth, N.H.--This elegant seaport, the nation's third oldest city, is one of the most culturally rich destinations in the country with its captivating blend of coastal beauty, historic buildings and lively downtown.

So, yah, like we didn't already know this? ;-)

(Photo by Melanie Burger.)

Local Boy Makes Good, Part III

This just in from Portsmouth expatriate Dave Cummins, who left town to pursue fame and fortune in the Big Apple:

Hello all...

Indeed it is my first speaking role on All My Children. I will be featured playing a U.S. Marshall in a big scene with Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) in two episodes airing on Monday, Feb 18th and Tuesday, Feb 19th. I will begin my scene toward the end of the show on the 18th and continue the scene with my speaking line(s) on the 19th. It airs on ABC TV at 1pm EST. If you happen to have a cable package with Soap Net then you can also catch it the same days at 8pm EST and again as the first two hours of a 5 hour weekly recap marathon on Saturday 2/23 from 2pm-6pm.

I also hope to have the scenes up on my website as soon as possible so…as always…feel free to visit the site and tell all your friends. www.davidjenterprises.com

Thanks for all the support.

Be well, David

Super Bowl Winners

Once again, the game was more competitive than the commercials. The Giants somehow stunned the Patriots while Budweiser was winning USAToday's AdMeter. But the big winner of SuperBowl Sunday was... The Internet. The New York Times sums it up nicely in this piece: "For Marketing, the Most Valuable Player Might Be YouTube."

"It is a far cry from just a few years ago, when the Super Bowl commercials disappeared after the game, along with the losing team. Now the strategy among sponsors is to maximize postgame exposure to help amortize the eye-popping cost of a Super Sunday spot — this time, an estimated $2.7 million for each 30 seconds of national air time."

The article notes that TiVo, long the bane of TV advertisers, helped some ads beat the game in ratings; the commercials got a higher audience than the game” in homes with the TiVo video recorder service.

YouTube, of course, was a prime destination for people wanting to catch what ads they missed on their beer and bathroom breaks. Check out the AdBlitz channel to compare view counts and ratings.

Even more interestingly, there was the TwitterBowl. I'm not a Twitterer, but this is the first time I've seen a really neat application of the technology. Kudos to Jeremiah Owyang on this fascinating experiment in social media.

BTW, here are my favorite commercials from this year:

5. The E*Trade Baby (both versions).
4. Audi's Godfather spoof. Clever concept, and man, what a car!
3. SoBe's Lizards were doing the Thriller dance so well, I wondered why Naomi Campbell was even on the screen at all.
2. Bridgestone's "Scream" and "Alice Cooper/Richard Simmons" (tie). Bridgestone? Really? Yep, really!
1. Coke, of course. Underdog and Stewie go at it, only to see Charlie Brown steal the show?! Brilliant.

Super Bowl Ads Still Super?

I tend to agree with this CBSNews article posted a few hours ago: "Super Bowl Ads Aren't What They Used To Be; You Just Can't Count On Being Entertained During The Commercial Breaks Anymore."

It's been a long, long, long time since Apple's Orwellian triumph in 1984.



(Trivia tidbit: Directed by Ridley Scott (of Blade Runner fame), who hasn't done a decent thing since.)

Longer still since 1979, when "Mean Joe" Greene showed his softer side and traded his jersey for a Coke.

The CBS article blames the Internet, where this year's GoDaddy ad will be because Fox has refused to run it. You can see that ad, and the rest of the Not-So-Super Bowl TV spots here on YouTube, and you can rate them! That's where I'll be after the Pats dispatch the Giants 38-20. (Yes, that's my prediction, on record here for all to see.) Enjoy the game, if not the commercials!

Fluff Piece Throws eCoast a Bone

My Google News Alert just sent me a notice that the key words "Portsmouth" and "wi-fi" were in the news. I clicked over and found this fluff piece on Seacoastonline.com about the pervasive impact of technology on the NH Seacoast. Aside from the dubious self-promotion of the Herald's parent company SMG, the article quotes my friends Ginny Griffith (Portsmouth Chamber) and Warren Daniel (NH SBDC), promotes the eCoast.org web site, mentions my downtown wi-fi project, and notes (finally, some recognition) that the eCoast has just celebrated our 9th anniversary. (See my post below about last month's eBrew and the eBrew Facebook page for pictures.) So, definitely a fluffy space-filler article, but all in all, I deem it bloggable.

No Fair Point

The proposed FairPoint purchase of Verizon's landlines in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont is coming to a head. While reading a story about yesterday's Patriots victory (yah baby!) on Boston.com, I noticed a banner ad at the top of the page:

This is an interesting tactic on the part of the very strong, very organized opposition group known as NoFairPoint.org (a project of the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO). NoFairPoint is using newspaper and radio adverting to make its case, but banner ads are usually used as marketing tools to reinforce a brand, usually a well-known brand. Because of years of negative conditioning, most Internet users do not click-through banners, so they are particularly ill-suited to calls-to-action. Despite this, I took action and clicked on it! The ad is designed cleverly as a newspaper headline -- and a scary one at that, because of my strong support for bringing high-speed Internet to rural areas, be it with Wi-Fi, WiMax, fiber, or at the very least, DSL on copper -- and I wanted to see what the story was behind the ad.

For those not up to speed on the story, this is a big deal. Evidently, Verizon wants out of landlines, which is not a growth area, so they can concentrate on wireless. Based in North Carolina, FairPoint wants to expand its LEC footprint. The problem is that FairPoint, while not exactly a small company (NYSE:FRP), is in no financial position to swallow a swath this wide. FairPoint is already in debt, and opponents say the additional debt will force the company to cut jobs or service. Or more likely, both.

Some advocates for the deal say the government shouldn't interfere with corporate deals. Nothing against FairPoint -- I know little about them -- but industries like telecom are a public necessity and are regulated for a reason: Private companies exist to grow and make money. The FCC, on the other hand, exists "to ensure that the American people have available, at reasonable costs and without discrimination, rapid, efficient, Nation- and world-wide communication services; whether by radio, television, wire, satellite, or cable." Indeed, after checking into the deal, one presidential candidate is calling for FCC investigation, citing the potential for job loss and negatively impacted service.

In an editorial on Saturday, The Portsmouth Herald outlined the whole deal and summed it up with a strongly caution:

The question that regulators have to ask is whether the deal is good for the businesses and people of the Northeast.

There are indications that it will not be, and if these indications hold up under what we hope is the intense scrutiny of the Public Utilities regulators of these three states, then FairPoint should be sent packing and Verizon should be forced to perform the functions it assumed when it was granted the right to operate in these three states.

Another eCoast Firm Gets Bought

Came across a tiny news blurb yesterday that caught my eye when I recognized the company name and location... Foedus, a 30-head firm on Pease, has been bought by VMWare (NYSE:VMW). When I typed in Foedus.com for more info, I found the domain already redirects to the new parent company. But I could still see the Foedus site here.

According to the press release, VMWare is on a bit of a spending spree, having also purchased the much larger firm Thinstall; as such, the Foedus acquisition gets a small paragraph at the bottom of the release:

VMware Acquires Assets from Foedus

VMware also disclosed its acquisition of services-related assets from Foedus, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based provider of virtualization technologies and services. VMware intends to leverage Foedus’s application and desktop virtualization services expertise to help VMware partners expand their virtualization services business. Foedus’s remaining assets, including the company’s sales and marketing organizations, were acquired earlier this month by GreenPages Technology, a national, consultative IT solutions provider and VMware Authorized Consultant (VAC) partner.

What does it mean? David Marshall at InfoWorld blogged: "This is further proof that virtualization expertise is hard to come by and in many cases perhaps easier to acquire than to train."

I'm awaiting news from my contact at Foedus as to what this all means to them, but surely, congratulations are in order for them!

Apple of My Eye

It's like a national holiday when Steve Jobs speaks! I'll be tuning in online at noon, anxiously awaiting news of an iPhone* update.


"There's something in the air." Hmmm... Is this a hint of some kind? Something to do with wi-fi or something wireless, perhaps?

I also note with interest that the Apple Store is down ahead of the big Macworld keynote address.

*BTW, I did finally find the eCoast's first iPhone at last week's eBrew! Mr. Erik Crago of Port City Web has purchased several, in fact, in order to equip himself and his team. He might be one of the most unlikely iPhone users, as one of his long-time favorite quotes is: "Apples are for eating." Just goes to show how far Apple Inc. has come over the past few years.

Ooops, Macworld is about to start. More later!

Local Boy Makes Good, Take II

A while back, I wrote about my old college buddy David Cummins, who had decided he wanted to try to break into showbiz. Due in no small part to his sticktoitiveness, Dave has met with an impressive amount of success, from local tv commercials to catalog modelling to bit parts in All My Children and even major motion pictures like Catch Me If You Can. His latest coup is appearing in the opening credits of a new Lifetime Television series, Matched in Manhattan.
It's a reality series starring Matt Titus, a "dating agent" who works with New York singles looking for true love. Dave's in a taxi and has a twinkle in his eye when a woman gets in, so look for my pal every Friday night at 9:3o! Or just click the link above to watch the first episode online. I just watched it; it's a pretty good show!

Obama's Consolation Prize

He may have narrowly lost the NH Primary, but Barack Obama continues to dominate in cyberspace.

He wins the Yahoo! Buzz Showdown with Hillary Clinton. Check out the geographic skew on the Yahoo! search for "barack obama muslim".

He wins the YouTube battle for eyeballs. Drill down to the data here.

And he wins Facebook's popularity contest. With 200,000 "friends," as reported here in The Nation, his numbers triple Hillary's.

See you tonight at the Press Room...

For the e-Coast Birthday Bash at the the e-Brew! This is your first chance to network and schmooze in 2008. And, there'll be cake. I mean really, who doesn't like cake? Nobody, right? (Well, except those of us with random food allergies. Stupid food allergies.) Oh and for those of you on Facebook, I've created an eCoast group and an eBrew event; check 'em out and if you know me, add me!
It won't just be high-tech chit-chat tonight, methinks. No doubt there'll be some discussion about our Primary election. I have to say, I'm finding it interesting if not refreshing to hear the pollsters and pundits eating crow over Hillary's so-called surprise victory. (My own predictions (see below) were actually pretty right on, actually, but only if you look at the voting rolls here in the Seacoast towns. My political barometer was not so good at predicting the Manchester, Nashua, and North Country, which makes sense seeing as I don't live there.) But the media mea-culpas keep coming, and it just goes to show you, like they say in the NFL, this is why they actually play the games.

The best news from the Primary? We in NH showed the nation, if not the world, why we deserve to be first in the nation. We know our politics cold -- the candidates and the media now know better than ever, there's no snowing us. And we show up to vote, this time in record numbers. Some polling stations were actually running out of ballots. Beat that Michigan!

Have a Cigar, You're Gonna Go Far

A long-standing Portsmouth tradition is the matchbook poll at Federal Cigar on Ladd Street in downtown Portsmouth. (Customers simply drop a matchbook into a bag with their preferred candidate's name on it.) About an hour ago, the Portsmouth Herald announced the results. Herald reporters Adam Leech and Deborah McDermott report that owner Leonard Seagren claims the 24-year-running poll has an "80% success rate." Presumably that is in predicting the winners only, rather than the rankings of the entire field. Here are the results:

Republicans

Ron Paul (31 percent)
John McCain (27 percent)
Rudy Giuliani (21 percent)
Mike Huckabee (10 percent)
Mitt Romney (8 percent)
Fred Thompson (2 percent)
Duncan Hunter (no votes).

Democrats

Barack Obama (46 percent)
Dennis Kucinich (17 percent)
John Edwards (17 percent)
Hillary Clinton (13 percent)
Joe Biden (4 percent)
Chris Dodd (3 percent)
Bill Richardson (1 percent).

Decidedly low-tech and wholly unscientific, this poll remains one of my favorite things about the NH Primary in general and Portsmouth in particular. Certainly, reading the tea leaves -- or cigar ashes? -- of this poll can impart insight into the mind of the voter, and can be an early indicator of surprises and upsets, (e.g., Hart, Gary in 1984.)

Debate This, Pal

Wow. Talk about the mainstream media (MSM) "not getting" social media. ABCNews "partnered" with Facebook to "jointly sponsor" tonight's Democratic and Republican presidential debates in Manchester. And yesterday they announced that Dennis Kucinich will not be invited. Gov. Bill Richardson will be debating along with the Big 3, but if you go to the little ABCNews Facebook application, you'll see Kucinich outpolling Richardson by a wide margin (7% to 3%). Kucinich has filed a complaint with the FCC and supporters are hastily rallying in protest.

Similarly, although Ron Paul will be in tonight's debate, he will not be in the Fox News debate tomorrow night. Paul is the leader in ABC's Facebook poll at 37%. Paul's supporters are protesting, online of course.

Predictions

On the eve of the Iowa Caucus, KD Paine & Partners has released an update to their YouTube tracking data on the presidential hopefuls. Basically, this innovative Berlin, NH-based media measurement firm is tracking clicks on YouTube for insights into the minds of prospective voters. Katie gives a great overview on where the candidates rate on her blog. As you can see from the data, Barack Obama (pictured left, with my girlfriend Melanie) is surging. And now for my predictions:

Iowa tonight:

Republicans: Huckabee will beat Romney, with McCain a strong and surprising third.

Democrats: Obama and Edwards will finish a virtual tie, with Hillary trailing them. Biden might top the 2nd tier candidates.

New Hampshire next Tuesday:

Republicans: Again, I'm seeing a shift in support to McCain, who was left for dead in NH just a couple months ago. My sense is we New Hampshirites know Romney too well to fall for his act. Huckabee's contention that the earth is only 10,000 years old will not play here. Guiliani is simply not a Granite State kind of guy and he's seemed to mail it in here in acknowledgment of that. By process of elimination, we are left with McCain, who will win despite apparently aging 10 years in the past 4 and selling out his independent integrity by pandering shamelessly to the conservative base. Given the atrophy of support for the Republican Big 3, don't be surprised if Ron Paul taps the libertarian vein of the granite state and cracks 10%.

Democrats: Obama will win. Edwards and Hillary will be close behind 2nd and 3rd. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a solid 8-10% digit showing from a 2nd tier guy like a Richardson or a Kucinich (pictured at right, with yours truly), depending on whether the independent voters who register as Democrats for this go-'round go with pragmatic or progressive.

And yes, I do love living in New Hampshire. :-)

Happy Birthday e-Coast!

In case you were wondering if there was an eBrew tonight, well, there isn't. If you're on the e-mail list, you got a notice at 3:56PM today about the special eCoast Birthday eBrew happening next Thursday. If memory serves correctly, this week-long delay is standard--an attempt to give folks a chance to get back from the holidays and get settled. BTW, if you're not on the e-mail list and are unsure about time, location, or if the eBrew is even happening, be sure to check the eCoast web site for updates before you leave.

Now, for you eBrew neophytes, I have to tell you that if you go to just two eBrews per year, they should be the summer eCruise and the January Birthday eBrew, which celebrates the very first meeting of eCoast founders way back in the days of yore, January 1999. Just for perspective, in those days, my hair was approximately 50% salt and 50% pepper, as opposed to the current 95% salt. Too bad I can't harness and sell all that salt for the roads, because as the P-Herald reports, we're already running low on the stuff!

Sick of Vick? Here's the Good News

ESPN is reporting at this hour that disgraced quarterback Michael Vick has gotten 23 months for dog-fighting.

The Yahoo Buzz Log doesn't seem to know the sentencing is today, but I expect the pop in Vick searches to hit their data soon.

For the social media/web 2.0 aspect of the story, you can't do better than this New York Times article (November 12): "In the Fund-Raising Games, Blogs Cut Both Ways" by Noam Cohen & James Freed. They note: In the world of animal rights’ charities, a certain phrase has been fund-raising gold lately — “Michael Vick’s dogs.”

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is out in front of the sentencing story today with this expert media availability posting. For the local angle, note that ASPCA retains Berlin, NH-based KD Paine & Partners to track their media messaging. This case study states that the ASPCA has -- due to a confluence of media stories culminating in the Vick firestorm -- seen huge spikes in media coverage, which has correlated to increased web hits, and that in turn has correlated to increases in donations.

Good to see something positive coming out of this, isn't it? Here's hoping today's sentencing further bulges the coffers of the animal rights groups. Here are links to what the Humane Society of the United States, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the ASPCA are saying today.

Yikes. No question as to what the buzz is about today. A little after 1PM, I started getting IMs popping up on my screen: "You getting this?" "Can you believe it?" Followed of course by blue-underlined links to WMUR.com and other news outlets. What I found when I clicked was both startling and baffling. There was a hostage situation at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester. He was apparently armed and said he had a bomb strapped to him.

As a former Rochester resident and Spaulding High grad, I was immediately concerned if anybody I knew was in danger. Turns out the campaign office was at 28 North Main Street... About 100 street numbers down from the home I lived in only 7 years ago! Like I said: "Yikes."

When I got home and turned on the TV, Channel 9 was reporting that the situation was resolving peacefully... Leeland Eisenberg, a man "well known to police," had given himself up, joining Lyndon LaRouche in Rochester's Hall of Shame. I'll be curious to learn his motivations, if and when they become public.

Hillary's response to all this? She appeared only minutes after the situation was defused for a press conference, calmly and gratefully thanking both law enforcement and her staffers. Now she's on her way back to NH. Her site HillaryClinton.com had a notice about the situation up on the home page and a blog entry posted at 6:53, well under an hour after the Eisenberg was arrested. Impressive situation management from her and her team.

How this will affect the NH Primary? My guess is it'll be retail politicking as usual before long, but for this weekend, it's going to be all-Hillary, all-the-time.

Now that we've got a date set for the New Hampshire Primary elections, the buzz around the Granite State is as much about politics as Christmas shopping lists. And with good reason. With the date set for January 8th--the earliest date ever--it's hot on the heals of the holiday season. Too close, some say. Retailers and candidates will be competing for media air time and shopper/voter mindshare over the coming weeks, at the risk of oversaturating a tight market for both dollars and votes.

Nevertheless, with the horse race in full stride, and the finish line now in sight, we New Hampshirites are engaging in one of our favorite sports: Handicapping. One way to handicap is by traditional polling--calling people up at dinner and asking them who they like. Hmmm... Not so good.

But KD Paine & Partners--a nationally renown media measurement firm based in Berlin, NH--is taking a more modern approach. They're tracking YouTube usage. Following the clicks as it were. Call it Polling 2.0 if you will. And they're getting some very interesting results. Let's just say Ron Paul's money bomb on Guy Fawkes Day wasn't all that surprising when you look at this data. Here's a link to the last batch of stats. The newest batch of stats, released today, has Ron Paul ahead by several lengths.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Katie Paine is available for comment. Please contact her directly for more info.

Further 2.o-ing politics, now tonight's GOP debate will be YouTubified, too, with candidates answering questions from YouTube videos like the Dems did a while back. Stay tuned.

I swear, we do not put the local paper up to articles like these!

These are unsolicited editorial views!

(And we appreciate it.)

Nice little story in the Fosters today on old pal Erik Crago and Port City Web. While it is not surprising that the article focussed on the one unexpected aspect of his business -- that they do shipping fulfillment for a shoe company -- it did strike me as odd that they didn't mention the name of that shoe company. But because Erik and I go way back, I happen to know who it is.

Slightly embarrassing side note: Back when e-commerce was just a puppy in the window, my brother and I had the idea to sell shoes on-line. But ultimately, I pooh-poohed it: "Who wants to buy shoes without trying them on first?!" Uh, apparently, a lot of people. Whoops!

Meanwhile, still poking around and getting used to the new Fosters.com. Interesting idea with this Foster's toolbar but with Google, Yahoo, StumbleUpon, etc., how much screen space is really up there?

And speaking of new things (see my post, "Change is Annoying" below), by now you may have heard that Foster's Daily Democrat is switching from an afternoon paper to a morning paper? This is huge. And risky. Frankly, I always thought it was neat that the Fosters was a PM paper. Journalistically, it gave them flexibility to respond to the morning's events, and from a marketing perspective, it was the key differentiator between it and its chief rival newspaper. Here's a great review of the ongoing "battle" from SeacoastNH.com. As the editor-at-large opines, there is precious little wiggle-room these days in the battle for newspaper-reading eyeballs. Everybody wants to be the "community resource for news and information" and the new Fosters and Herald web sites are a bold move into the web 2.0 news-sharing arena. But yes, with the NH Gazette and The Wire, WSCA-FM, PorstmouthNH.com and SeacoastNH.com, the local media market is as wide-open as it is fractured.

Let's see what kind of buzz bump Fosters gets with the switchover on the 26th. And what, if any, response is forthcoming from the Herald. This could be interesting.

Today's Portsmouth Herald was a bit of a Campbell harmonic convergence. On the front page, there was an article about the progress of the eCoast Wi-Fi Project, which I helped initiate several years ago. Thanks to Herald reporter Adam Leech for diligently staying on this story.

Further inside, on front page of the Money section, was a feature on my dad, David Campbell (handsome devil, isn't he?) and his wine shop. Ceres Street Wine Merchants is the oldest (founded in 1992) and largest (a bit of a non sequitur, if you've been inside) wine store in the state. Great job by Diana Paquet in capturing the spirit and personality of my dad and his store.

Oh and the "buy local" thing he mentions at the end? That's www.buylocalseacoast.org -- a great idea to organize and promote local businesses to keep money and jobs local, while also celebrating entrepreneurship and business creativity. Not to be forgotten are the environmental advantages of buying local, especially with gas hitting 3 bucks a gallon and the holiday gift buying season upon us. Check it out.

Change is... Annoying?

Recently I was in the renovated, redesigned, rejiggered, reopened Shaws in Portsmouth. It had been pretty much a mess for a month or so while they did the work, which mainly consisted of moving things around to different aisles make things "easier" for the customers to find. When they were ready, they reopened the store with balloons, fanfare, even an autograph-signing visit with former All-Pro Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett. (See photo. That's me on the left and my brother Todd on the right. What can I say, we were big fans of #56!) Shaws also trotted out Rewards program incentives, like a free turkey after you've spent a certain amount. All this is well and good. I'm sure they have very solid data on how they would increase their dollars-per-square foot with this new design. And certainly, change is inevitable; after all, this particular store opened in 1991, which was... hmmm... 16 years ago according to my computations. That's kinda old these days, especially with Wal-Mart horning in on the grocery store turf. So anyway, when I checked out, the cashier asked me dutifully if I had found everything OK. Sure, I replied. So relieved she was to hear this, she couldn't help herself from remarking "You're the only one!" Hmm...

It reminded me of the responses I've been hearing about the new websites of our local newspapers, The Portsmouth Herald and the Fosters Daily Democrat. They've retooled and relaunched with a bold, modern new looks. Of course, in doing so, they've moved the peas, the frozen pizza, and the organic foods, just like Shaws. Interestingly, The Boston Globe redid their site at about the same time. Clearly, there's a lot of change afoot these days.

When it comes to change, the question for small businesses shouldn't just be, "Is it better for me and my business?" It's got to be, "How will this change affect my customers, and how can I manage the situation to avoid complaints, or even worse, defections?"

So, how are they doing? Have you had trouble finding things in Shaws and on our revamped local news websites? Comment me below and let's find out.

In the wake of the Boston Red Sox World Series Championship (god, how I love to put all those words together!), talk soon turned from Josh Beckett's pitching guts and Jon Papelbon's dancing butt to... tacos and furniture?

Yep, and it got me to wondering, "Which marketing campaign was the most effective, Jordan's Furniture or Taco Bell?"

At the eBrew the other night, I floated the question. There was enthusiastic support for both campaigns--especially Taco Bell's in-game buzz--but no real consensus. I checked the pulse of the the blogosphere, I've found this, and this, and this. Now, I'll take a look at it from a few different perspectives one-by-one, and see who's "got game," so to speak.

Game 1. Consumer Benefit

This one's a no-brainer. For the consumer, clearly, a free couch or mattress is a hell of a lot better than a free 79-cent taco. You could buy as much furniture as you wanted, but you couldn't even pick which kind of taco you wanted! And you had to pick them up on Tuesday between 2 and 5PM. Jordan's takes game 1 handily.

Game 2. Creativity

The idea of giving away furniture if the home team wins the World Series is quantum-leaps more creative than giving away free food if a player steals a base. Last year, you may recall Taco Bell did the same promotion, but the trigger was if home run happened hit a smallish target in the bleachers. (It didn't happen. No taco for you!) For the record, there has been a stolen base in every Fall Classic since 1990, so they dramatically increased the odds this year. For comparison, the Vegas odds for the Sox winning were anywhere from 6-1 to 10-1 at the beginning of the season. Jordan's campaign took lots of planning (beginning before the season even started) and more than a little (pardon the pun) balls. The Taco Bell campaign seemed just, well, gimmicky. Jordan's takes a 2-0 lead.

Game 3. Buzz Factor

Let's face it, both buzzed through the roof. Jordan's "Monster Deal" made national news (Bloomberg, USAToday, ABCNews, etc.). But Taco Bell got on-air promo--ballplayers were actually talking about it in the dugout, followed by a not-so-coincidental cut to the TB CEO sitting in the stands. Personally, I'd prefer less shilling and more Schilling in my World Series, thankyouverymuch. But the on-air buzz, positive media coverage, and the next-day water-cooler buzz combine to give Game 3 to Taco Bell.

Game 4. Cost.

We're still not sure how much it cost Jordan's (or parent Berkshire Hathaway) in total, but the insurance policy was reportedly $20 million. Further, there are concerns that the rebates might be taxable and require 1099s for customers (although this seems unlikely); other reports worry that the total rebate-eligible sales may exceed the $20m policy. Taco Bell, OTOH, was a bargain-basement score. According to Ad Age: "Advertising buy: $5.6 million. Potential giveaway cost: under $1 million. Publicity value: priceless." Game 4 goes to Taco Bell.

Game 5. Execution

Jordan's campaign was highly integrated and well executed. Taco Bell's seemed a bit slapped together. As one expert noted in Advertising Age, "I felt that it was pretty flat-footed and also extremely expected at this point," said Jon Maurice, senior partner at interactive marketing agency Drive. "I don't know how many of these we've seen, but it's kind of like, 'Insert quick-service- restaurant brand here.'" He added that Fox's treatment was "heavy-handed" and Mr. Savage's performance left much to be desired. Conversely, Eliot's a natural; his TV persona and years of creative marketing experience are the stuff of New England legend. And Game 5 goes to Jordan's.

Game 6. Overall Impact

Jordan's was effectively leveraging a long-standing sponsorship of the Boston Red Sox, and in doing so took the relationship to a whole 'nother level. Jordan's campaign started with their announcement during Spring Training and ran all year long on NESN, the Red Sox cable network. The TV advertising spots were updated throughout the season, and there were broadcaster voiceovers and on-screen graphics during each game. The Taco Bell campaign really only lasted the duration of the World Series itself, and the Sox made quick work of the overmatched Rox, further minimizing the effect. And in its gushing over Taco Bell campaign, Advertising Age gave little ol' Jordan's props in the end. For overall impact, give Game 6 to Jordan's... And that's it, it's all over! Jordan's Furniture wins, 4 games to 2, the World Series of Buzz 2007!

(At least, that's what I think. How 'bout you? Comment me below.)

I won't be a bit surprised if the voter turnout for today's local elections is low; the weather is miserable! It's worse today than it was for that so-called hurricane we had the other day. Anyway, please do venture out and vote.

I'm supporting Ned Raynolds, Chris Dwyer, and Laura Pantelakos for City Council. I'm also writing in Steve Marchand, whether he likes it or not. I think he did an excellent job as mayor and it's unfortunate that he's now caught between Jeanne Shaheen's Senate campaign and nowheresville. You might even say he's the Mayor of Nowheresville.

Oh and here's a hint known only to the savviest of Portsmouth voters: There are 9 seats on the city council, but you don't have to vote for 9 candidates. Vote for only the ones you really like. That effectively weights your vote(s) more heavily toward the mayor's office! Nifty, eh? So go to PortsmouthVoter.org, see who you like, and do your civic duty. (Don't forget your umbrella.)

MEDIA ADVISORY--Credentialed media is welcome to attend Northeast Regional Angel Investor Conference tomorrow at the Portsmouth Sheraton, or to query the presenters about current trends in angel investing before or after the conference. (Wikipedia: Angel investor.)

• Luis Villalobos of Tech Coast Angels fame will be speaking.
• David Cohen of TechStars in Colorado will be speaking.
• Jeff Sohl (pictured) from UNH's Center for Venture Research will be speaking.

Interesting note: Villalobos and Sohl have won the last two Hans Severiens Awards.

It's always great to see Portsmouth at the center of technology innovation, and these angel conferences (we hosted one here a couple years ago, as well) are a real feather in the eCoast cap.

I can't tell you how many times I've been on my way out to vote in local elections, and the people around me would ask, "How do you even know who to vote for?" It's a pervasive and persistent problem. Voter turnout in Portsmouth -- a city of moderate size, a well-educated populace, and two daily newspapers -- is typically about 25%.

Incumbents, of course, have some measure of name recognition from their prior service; however, they are known entities only to meetings-goers and religious local newspaper readers. As for the challengers, unless you know someone personally who happens to be running for city council or the school board, they are virtual unknowns. To get your name out there is a marketing problem, of course, but local elections are small-scale endeavors, with candidate's entire marketing and publicity budgets being spent on... Yard signs.

Ah yes, the yard sign, that ubiquitous harbinger of local elections. You see them on every street corner, clustered together, popping up, multiplying like mushrooms overnight. It's not been proven that the candidate with the most signs around town wins, but that's the way the candidates play it, and they aren't taking any chances!

Now, here in Portsmouth, our elections are coming up on Tuesday, November 6. I have a pretty good idea of who I'm supporting, but for the other 90% of Portsmouth residents who are understandably clueless, there is now an answer to the eternal question: "Who ARE all these people?"

Enter PortsmouthVoter.org. It won't tell you who to vote for -- that you've still got to figure out for yourself -- but you'll be able to see all the candidates together in one place, BEFORE you enter the voting booth. Your civic responsibility has never been so easy!

Congratulations going out to KDPaine & Partners, who went down to NYC and came away with a much-coveted PRNews Platinum Award yesterday! They took the Research & Measurement category; visit Katie's excellent blog and see the actual award-winning entry.

Quick shout-out to two e-Coast companies, PixelMedia and Port City Web, who have placed finalist entries in the prestigious 2007 MITX Awards, which were announced last week. These awards recognize the best in web site design in New England, so it's quite a coup.

The MITX Awards, of course, used to be the MIMC Awards. After the dot-com blow-out, the organization decided to change their name from Massachusetts Interactive Media Council to Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange. So now instead of saying "mimic" we say "my-techs." I guess that's sorta better? I have fond memories of going down there with Flywire crew and mingling with the dot-com jet-set down in Boston. Penn from Penn & Teller was the MC! I believe he might've eaten fire, right there in hotel conference room during his speech. Ah, those heady days. Come along Sherman, to the Way-Back Machine of the MIMC Awards! (This link shows winners in each category back to 1996.)

In any event, the competition for these awards was always very stiff, and judging from this year's entries, it appears that it still is. Best of luck to our Portsmouth-based entrants!

Cooked up my own "non-Brew" tonight... Just too hungry and tired after I got out of work to go out and socialize and network. Sorry I missed everybody. But to make it up to you, my loyal readers, I'll post this fantastic map of Portsmouth's soon-to-be wi-fi network. Thanks to Tom at the Portsmouth Chamber for putting this together.

Hopefully your screen resolution can see the colored circles, but for your reference, blue is the initial phase, and the yellow will happen later on.

Meanwhile, lots happening with Buzz clients so I've got to work on that... More news soon.

Amidst the spate of the-sky-is-falling news stories out there announcing the demise of municipal wi-fi (liberally decorated with gleeful I-told-you-so quotes from "telecom industry experts" bought and paid for by the broadband duopoly*), there have been two recent exceptions that have caught my eye. One is that Christian Science Monitor article I referenced below. Another is this piece: Citywide Wi-Fi isn't dead yet By Marguerite Reardon, ZDNet.
I particularly liked this ending quote from Craig Settles, author of Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless.

"At the end of the day, a lot of the success of these projects comes down to marketing," he said. "You really have to go out there with a clear message and articulate how the network will impact people for it to be successful. And then you have to explain how you can pay for it. And that's not easy to do."

It's clear to me that the muni wi-fi issues we've been hearing about are all about either a.) Earthlink, b.) mismanaged expectations, or c.) both. Indeed, a key ingredient to good marketing is managing people's expectations. If you say your bleach makes clothes blinding white, but they come out of the wash just kinda sorta whitish... Expectations are missed and customer dissatisfaction may follow. Well, municipal wi-fi isn't going to make your coffee for you or get your whites any whiter, but it can spur economic development, attract business-class tourism, and serve as a warm, moist environment in which new wi-fi-based products, services, and companies can grow.

*Did you know if one household in any given Zip code has access to broadband, that entire Zip code is counted as "served" by broadband access? See this Chicago Tribune article. Or this excellent C|Net post by Josh Wolf. Or this piece from last year by Mark Lloyd at the Center for American Progress.

And the hits just keep on coming! Over the past few days, our little wi-fi success story has appeared in:

Today's Foster's Daily Democrat: "$10g grant gives boost to Ports. Wi-Fi"

Sunday's Manchester Union Leader: "Portsmouth expands WiFi downtown" by Faith Swymer.

And Friday's Portsmouth Herald: "Wi-Fi connection growing downtown, beyond" by Adam Leech.

And yes, that 2nd photo with the Herald article is my MacBook's keyboard. Randomly. Makes me nostalgic for my old clamshell iBook Graphite SE, which was representin' with its "Got Wi-Fi?" sticker in media such as NH Magazine, WMUR-TV, NECN, and The Boston Globe. Here's one of my favorite shots of me and little buddy. Note the pony tail. I kinda miss him, too.

Photo Credit: Melanie Burger

Thanks to everyone for coming out for the eCoast Wi-Fi Project press conference today! It was great to reconnect with the old group, and to meet the folks from Cisco and UNH-IOL who will be expanding our network throughout the city.

BTW, in preparing for the conference, I was reviewing the user statistics (users answer a few demographic questions to obtain the network password) and I found that we had already nearly doubled our usership from last year. Nearly 2500 different people have filled out the survey this year! Over the past three months, we have averaged 500 new users per month! These numbers are, in a word, awesome.

A few things for you on this fine fall day. (If you don't LOVE fall, you probably don't belong in New England. But that's a rant for another day.)

1. Tomorrow morning, the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce will be formally presented with a check for $10,000 from DRED as matching funds for our wi-fi project. Mike Vlacich from DRED will be at the Kiosk in Market Square at 9AM. Media is welcome.

Background: NH's Division of Economic Development's Telecommunications Advisory Board unveiled a $100,000 matching grant initiative back in March to "stimulate and support public/private wireless broadband projects throughout the state." Visit http://www.nheconomy.com/newsroom.aspx for more info.

Of course, the kiosk isn't technically the wi-fi hotspot anymore, but it serves as a handy spot to mark where it all began back in the summer of '03.

This outstanding article from David Brooks at the Nashua Telegraph tells more of the story.

2. I've been subscribing to the City of Portsmouth's newsletter for, I don't know, a long time. Since they started doing it, maybe? And I have to say, here, for the record, that it is an outstanding service. I actually look forward to it; how many e-mail newsletters can you say THAT about? It's plain text, and it's not written with any literary flair, but man, it has got everything you might need or want to know! I recommend all residents of Portsmouth, people who work in Portsmouth, or if you're just interested in what's going on, go ahead and sign up! Old issues are archived there as well. City Manager John Bohenko deserves serious kudos for providing this service.

3. In today's newsletter, this item in particular caught my eye and I felt it deserved more attention:

MORE RECYCLING
Portsmouth residents may now recycle hardcover and soft cover books, videos, compact discs, DVDs, records/LPs, computer software and games, sports cards and comic books in a designated bin at the city’s Recycling Center under a one-year pilot project. Put the items, no matter what their condition, in the six-foot “Got Books” bin at the Recycling Center located behind the Public Works building at 680 Peverly Hill Road. Recycling Center hours.

What a tremendous idea! Here's more info from the Public Works section of the site.

OK that's it for now. Enjoy the beautiful crisp air and warm sun. And come see me tomorrow morning in Market Square.

Just a quick shout-out to Michael Goot at the Foster's Portsmouth bureau for helping spread the good word about our wi-fi project, and plugging my blog at the same time. Just a point of clarification: In the true spirit of a pilot project, we had technical difficulties and low demand for our hotspot in Prescott Park, so we discontinued that after one summer.

Dynamic Internet Hosts Webcast Supporting New Orleans Rebuilding Effort

Shameless plug for my web hosting provider here, a little data center in Nashua that continues to do big things.

Dynamic Internet Hosts Webcast Supporting New Orleans Rebuilding Effort

See, this is exactly what I was talking about below. Wi-fi in large cities can be problematic in so many ways -- not least of which is the fact that so many private businesses and entities, from Starbucks up to university campuses, are already providing wireless Internet where people want it. This can render a large-scale Google or Earthlink type plan almost redundant, especially when cash-strapped taxpayers see the bill. But in smaller cities, everything from political hurdles to technological issues to the bottom line is simply more manageable, more doable, and just plain makes more sense. Today's Christian Science Monitor (or as I like to call it, the best paper with the worst name) has a great article on the subject today. Here's a teaser:

While big-city Wi-Fi wilts, hundreds of smaller communities have fostered thriving networks. These success stories often take place in cities and counties few have ever heard of – Owensboro, Ky.; Rio Rancho, N.M.; Kutztown, Pa. Their town borders don't extend very far, their populations are relatively small, and their main streets may be unglamorous. But in many ways, that's how they pulled off what most metropolises have not.

Disappointed they didn't call us, as well, actually. Oh well, MuniWireless picked us up, and did a fabulous job boiling down our project in 100 words or less. And "WiFi Net News" picked us up too, a day earlier. More soon...

Hello again my friends. We are blogging to you live from a misty and cool sidewalk table at Breaking New Grounds in Market Square for an important announcement from the eCoast Wi-Fi Project. The Portsmouth Herald has the basics covered in this front-page article.

This, of course, is coming at a time when municipal wi-fi is under siege from seemingly every angle. Quite correctly, Esme Vos of Muniwireless.com says that despite Earthlink's step back, the reports of wi-fi's death are greatly exaggerated. This Q&A in particular is required reading. Moreover, there are several big differences here in Portsmouth that make ours an uniquely viable model.

1. With the new Cisco and UNH-IOL partnership, our wi-fi network has a built-in raison d'etre as a real-world testing facility. This inherent value eliminates that "why should we do this" haranguing, leaving us residents and tourists with the remainder -- free, simple, public-access wi-fi for us to use and enjoy.

2. Thanks to NH Gov. Lynch, George Bald, Michael Vlacich, et al, and the hard work of the Portsmouth Chamber's irreplaceable Ginny Griffith, we now have some funds in the form of DRED's $10,000 matching grant. But our network continues to be funded and equipped by corporate donations of equipment, bandwidth, and professional services. This way, the "what's the business model" money thing question is essentially off the table. What's more, although it's conceivable that it could be in the future, advertising is not part of this wi-fi project. The only advertising going on here is the free kind -- the good-will publicity generated for the group's sponsors, the city, and the state.

3. Demographically, geographically, economically, politically, and size-wise, Portsmouth is proving to be an ideal place do to muni wi-fi. We're a fairly (but not too) affluent city, with a well-educated citizenry. We're not out in the boonies, so we have a solid base of technology infrastructure and we're not starting from scratch. We've got a nice mix of both locally-based and tourist-driven business, both of which have and will continue to benefit from the open Internet access. We're left-leaning and forward-thinking politically, but with a strong dose of old Yankee sensibilities -- pride of local control and in doing things our own way. Finally, Portsmouth is not so large that our wi-fi clouds can't cover key areas, but we're not so small that it wouldn't matter if we couldn't. Really, the only downside to wi-fi in Portsmouth is all this quaint-but-non-conducive brick we've got around here!

In the meantime, stay tuned. You know the nay-sayers will come out of their holes now that our plans are a front-page story, but our plan is solid and our intentions are both noble and reasonable. I have a feeling I'll be blogging on this a lot in the coming months.

What would happen if they cancelled an eBrew but nobody heard it?

Like a tree falling in a forest, I'm happy to report that it would still exist. This fact is evidenced by last night's "non-Brew," held at the Press Room despite the lack of organizers, advertising, or sponsors. Name tags? Finger food? Who needs 'em?! Our eBrew was small but free-flowing and dynamic, just like the early days. In fact, it was just like the early days before the Chamber got involved, with "e-Coast" name-coiner Mark Samber in the house! The 8 of us talked about how badly we want iPhones, the merits of bridging multiple WAPs in the home, who or what is a Ruby developer, Wisconsin (randomly), and our first computers (Scelbi, Amiga, Commodore 64, Apple II, RadioShack TRS-80). Ah, the memories of teenage geekdom! We also discussed the relative merits of way-cool web 2.0 applications like LibraryThing and Delicious Monster. (Hmm... I also recall there was some animated discussion of the legalities of having an empty pint glass outside, but let's not go there.) Anyway, equally as fun as catching up with old friends is making new ones, which I also did at our non-Brew -- a developer from Eliot named Jim, who has exceptional taste in both computers and politics. I'm already looking forward to next month's eBrew, or non-Brew as the case may be.

Hey, I like the title of this article.

And this one.

Hmmm, and this one, too!

This one is more of a seminar, I guess.

Ah, the sincerest form of flattery.

The New York Times says:

"A ‘Mini-Boston’ on a Small Slice of Coast"

Yah, we knew that. :-)

Check out the one of the best views in town, brought to you via our friend Doug's PortsmouthNH.com, a wireless web-cam, and an anonymous local businessman's downtown apartment window. Certainly, this view of the Piscataqua is nothing to wine about. I mean whine. Did I type wine? That was a typo. Anyway, if you look real closely, you can scope out the good seats on Poco's deck before you leave the office. God, how I love the Internet.

In the sweltering heat and stiffling humidity, the place to be Thursday night was on the water. Specifically, on the Thomas Laighton for the eCruise.

My personal photographer, Melanie Burger, tends to shoot scenery rather than people. One of the few people shots was this one of me and my tongue. Good thing she's cute. She's also good at those scenery shots. See for yourself here and below.

My goals for the night (besides avoiding heat stroke and, of course, any sort of maritime disaster) was to a.) catch up with old friends (check), b.) meet some new people (check), and c.) find the eCoast's first iPhone (no dice). I did, however, see...

• Lots of Hatchlings. Marc... Jeremy... Zack... They always seem to have something goin' on. Their original film short "Toll" continues to attract attention at film festivals nationwide. Oh and Jeremy, I owe you a Coke.
  
• An old colleague Mary Kay, formely of Interface Tech News, who sold my old company full-page ads back in the day. She's now with Vermillion, the pre-press printer/direct marketing company.
• My pal Katie and her new S.O. Randy, who runs a very successful systems supplier, Avian Computer.
• Old friend Scott Z, one of my favorite people and a great Red Sox fan, not to mention a pretty nifty developer.
  
• Jeff Ackley, who never misses an eBrew, god bless him.
  
• Ditto for Steve Long, Mr. Snuggleball himself.
  
• George Bald of DRED, who I finally got to meet in person, and who was kind enough to delay his disembarkment to chat briefly about the state's wi-fi plans.
• All the good folks at the Chamber, although there are decidedly fewer of them nowadays, most notably the president, with Ginny and Tom pulling double-duty.
• Hell, I even saw an old college buddy of mine who happens to work on the ship!

It was a wonderful night out. There was some grumbling/confusion about the tickets that didn't = drinks as has been the case at prior eCruises. But that was OK. And then there's those who just couldn't break away on a work night to get there for the 5:25 getaway. They wonder if next year we could push it back to 6 or so? Seems reasonable to me... Might bring a few more people out.

Oh and special thanks to Doug of SingleToken, who not only reserved my ticket while he was getting his, but also tried to buy me a beer on-board. (I was just toooo fast for him!)