Don't Forget to Vote! (Cheat sheets below!)

Ahhhh, local elections. Yes, all the stupid signs on the sides of the roads mean it's time once again for you to totally mean to cast your ballot, except that you're so busy with soccer practices and grocery shopping and you don't even know who these jokers are anyway, and what difference does it make anyway, so you don't vote.

Well, I can't help you with the groceries or ferrying the kids around, but if you're hung up on not knowing any of the names in today's Portsmouth city elections, you've come to the right place.

Of course, you want to do your research to find the candidates whose priorities and philosophies are most aligned with your own. The local papers did a good job interviewing the candidates (or at least getting them to fill out their questionnaires) so check them out.

Lots of articles and q&a with candidates from the Herald is here: Portsmouth Herald election coverage

A quick overview of the election from Foster's is here: Foster's election coverage

The city of Portsmouth web site has all the information you might need to know about your ward's voting locations here: http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/CityClerk/voteinfo.htm

Even more fun is my pal Dan Freund's youtube-style video interviews with the candidates. Go here for those: http://www.shortstream.tv/v3/localelections Unfortunately not all the candidates are there, but most of them are. Good job Dan!

Haven't got time to do all that research? There are cheat sheets! Hooray for cheating! The Portsmouth Taxpayers Association does the best job of distributing sample ballots with their picks filled in. You can take it into the booth with you, if you're so inclined. Personally, I find the APT picks tend to be opposite of my inclinations, and oppose those whom the school supporters, for example, would pick. (Yes, that's code for Republican vs. Democrat, although these seats are officially non-affiliated.)

There are other cheat sheets, too, if you look for them. For example, in the local paper, I found that the police are endorsing incumbents Nancy Novelline Clayburgh, Laura Pantelakos, and Ken Smith, as well as newbies Ryan Baker and Bob Lister.

Or you could simply ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers who they like. There's no shame in that. Heck, it's a small town, and some of your friends might actually know the candidates personally. They may have even had some good ol' fashioned dust-ups with one of them, like my pal Erik's well-taken issues with Councilor Smith.

If you trust the editors of the Portsmouth Herald implicitly, you can use their endorsements as your guide: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20091029-OPINION-910290399


And if you'd like to simply crib off of me, here's my cheat sheet:

Bob Lister. Well qualified and well liked former school superintendent, he's my pick for mayor.

Jerry Hejtmanek. Lots of experience both civic and corporate, forward-thinking on issues like sustainability.

Laura Pantelakos. In the vein of Evelyn Sirrell and Eileen Foley, a longtime councilor, great for her institutional knowledge and old-school Portsmouth values.

Chris Dwyer. Incumbent doing a good job, leader for arts and affordable housing.

Eric Spear. Incumbent doing a good job, good ideas plus youthful energy.

Write-in: Former Mayor Steve Marchand. We sure could use his leadership again about now.

Write-in: Unofficial mayor of downtown, Dave Campbell, AKA "The Wine Guy" or to me, "Dad." He's too modest to run officially, but I think he'd do a great job.

Hint: As veteran of many of these elections, I'll tell you that while there are 9 seats on the city council, you do NOT have to vote for 9. Don't hem and haw over seats 7, 8, and 9 if you don't know any of the names remaining. Better is to vote for only those with whom you feel comfortable. Remember, if you only vote for say, 5, then you've distanced those 5 from the rest of the pack, giving them a better chance to be elected. (Indeed, since the top vote-getter for council becomes mayor, you've given them a better chance to be elected mayor, too, FWIW.)

As for the school board, here's a good overview of the candidates from the Herald. Another good crash-course on the school board is here, where each is asked if we should level-fund the schools again. Most years level-funding equals a cut, and I'm not willing to compromise our schools.

My cheat sheet for School Board then is:

Chellman, Ellis, Serlin, Stevens, and Kent LaPage for his longevity, experience, and I'll take him at his word when he said in the Herald: "I will not send a wasteful budget ever to the City Council. But I also will no longer send any program reduction to the children of Portsmouth and SAU 50."

Fire Commission has 2 candidates for 2 slots, so fill them in or not, it makes no difference.

Police Commission has 3 candidates for 2 slots. Here I'm voting for Jerry Howe and letting the chips fall where they may.

IMPORTANT! Polls close at 7PM so most of you have plenty of time to get there after work. And if you don't happen to be registered to vote yet in Portsmouth, you MAY do so at the polls. So no excuses, get out there and do your civic duty already!

Then, tonight you can watch as they tally and announce the winners. You can root for your picks just like in fantasy football!

eCoast companies named finalists for MITX Awards

Always love to see NH-based companies competing successfully with Boston-based companies. Got my e-mail from MITX the other day announcing the finalists for their annual web awards, and as I scrolled down, right there with the likes of big-city heavyweights like Digitas, Sapient, Arnold, Mullen, and Molecular, I saw Portsmouth's own PixelMedia and Mad*Pow.

I hope all companies in the NH seacoast area realize the level of talent right that exists right here in their own backyard when they bid out for web development projects. But I know they don't. And that they think they need to go to the cities for the high-level professional jobs. This is why I blog about it. ;-)

Review all the finalists here: http://www.mitxawards.org/interactive/Finalists.aspx

Happy Anniversaries!

Happy Anniversary to...

...My old pal Brigham Pendleton, who is celebrating his 10th year of operating Brigham Pendleton Design. Brigham and I go way back to Flywire days, back when it was still VisuaLink Technologies, where he was employee #2 and I was employee #3. Good to see he's learned a thing or two from me about the value of PR; his press release was picked up in a nice blurb in the Portsmouth Herald. The new site looks good, too, with a distinctly 2.0 look and feel to it.

...The crew at PixelMedia, who celebrated their 15th anniversary this week with a soiree at their new digs on Pease. Of course, 15 years is like 60 in Internet time, so this is no small feat. Congrats to TJ and Erik and the whole gang. I'm waiting or the looking-back video to hit YouTube so I can link it; it was historical and it was hysterical. Great to see Evan Karatzas and Tom Cochiarro there, too.

...My new friend Kevin Hallenbeck, who has been training the best sales people in New Hampshire now for 15 years. In fact, that's his web URL: www.bestsalespeople.com. Kevin will be celebrating his crystal anniversary by launching a marketing campaign (with help from yours truly) and by moving into a new, larger space in Manchester.

Of course, marking an anniversary is an excellent publicity hook for companies, especially those that tend to work behind the scenes and out of the spotlight. To celebrate an anniversary immediately generates buzz about your company, and it validates you as a legitimate player in your market because you've stood the test of time. Business newspapers and magazines are likely to give you a blurb marking the occasion, and sometimes you can parlay that interest into a feature story. Your 5th, 10th, 15th, or 20th anniversary is also a great time to throw a little party for your staff, clients, etc. Ideally, you hold it in your office space, like Pixel did, where you can casually show off your people and your work. Don't be afraid to get creative with it, either; my dad, AKA The Wine Guy at Ceres Street Wine, made up special t-shirts that celebrated his "10th Wineversary."

Portsmouth Company Sold

Congrats to Portsmouth firm BeyondTrust on its successful sale to California-based Symark. This was reported by Jackie Noblett in Mass High Tech yesterday. The deal closed August 19th and as you can see from BeyondTrust's web site, the company has decided to adopt the BeyondTrust brand. This sale represents yet another feather in the caps of Eric Voskuil and John Moyer, who previously co-founded DesktopStandard (formerly AutoProf) and sold it to a little company called Microsoft in 2006. BeyondTrust was a spin-out company born out of that sale, and now it too has been sold -- a neat (and profitable) trick to be sure. Most importantly, according to correspondent Dave Choate in today's Portsmouth Herald, the Portsmouth location will retain its employees at its Brewery Lane location.
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Cocchiaro Sacked!

When he told me on Friday morning, you could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather. Aside from peeling his face off and announcing he was an evil space alien, it was the last thing I expected him to say. After 15 years at the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, Tom Cocchiaro was officially a local institution, so for him to be let go unceremoniously on a random Thursday in August was certainly a surprise to anyone who has worked with him. Even worse, it was a total surprise to him. If you read the account in the Portsmouth Herald, that is pretty clear.

What isn't clear is why. We just had a terrifically successful eCruise (that's Tom, topside) that Tom had planned and managed. The Chamber annual dinner held just a couple weeks ago was a big hit, too, from all reports. It could simply be a cost-cutting move for the Chamber, and we'll know that soon if his replacement is conspicuously young and affordable. Which is fine, I suppose, as long as you realize that his experience and institutional knowledge (he had worked under, what, 5 or 6 different directors?) can not be replaced.

What's also unclear is the effect this will have on the eCoast organization in general. Tom was essentially the point man for most of the eCoast programs, and the last time the Chamber sacked our main contact (Ginny Griffith), the eCoast was almost scuttled completely.

In the end, of course, this an opportunity for Tom. He's bright, creative, articulate, professional, and highly connected. I know I'll keep him in mind for projects and positions going forward, and so should you.

iCruise + uCruise = eCruise!

Last Thursday evening ~225 high-tech businesspeople, both local and from away, clambered aboard the MV Thomas Laighton for a 3-hour cruise. After a year's hiatus, this was the triumpant return of the eCruise, our yearly floating eBrew. Despite the fact that I was on the planning committee for this excursion (full disclosure), I am happy to report that the eCruise was a resounding success! Many beers and businesscards were exchanged with a backdrop of pretty views and refreshing ocean breezes--what better way to spend a nice summer's evening?

We departed a bit later than we expected (about 5:55PM) but we had to get our sea-legs under us right quick. In past years, we were content to stay in the harbor, hug the coastline, or even go up river, which disappointed the more adventurous eCruisers. But this year, our captain announced at the outset that the seas were calm, so we'd be heading straight out to the Isles of Shoals. We soon found "calm" to be a relative term, with eCruisers stumbling across all 3 decks, surfing from chairs to railings to poles for support as the steamer chugged out to sea at a steady clip, ignorant of the waves and the mostly landlubber crew.

Once we arrived our our destination, though, we lingered leisurely along the rocky crags of Appledore, Smuttynose, and Star Islands. I overheard many remarking that they had never actually been to the Isles and what a treat is was to finally see them up close. The return trip was steady-as-she-goes, with a pretty sunset lighting the way. (See more pictures on Flickr and Facebook.)

Thanks To: All of our sponsors, but especially Chris King (pictured) of SEEDA for being not only the major sponsor but also opening his tab for yours truly and several other grateful folks. This was SEEDA's party and we were all along for the ride.

Cool Factor: Off the Wall handed out multi-color-glowing name tags, which quickly became the most coveted tchotchke onboard. These trumped the early favorite Pokens, which were cool but made a late appearance.

Nice to Meet: The Off the Wall folks, Pam from BBJ/MHT, Rebecca from Global Technical Talent, and everyone else. What can I say, it was a good crew!

Surprise Hit: I don't eat fungus, but apparently the sausage-stuffed mushrooms (courtesy of Galley Hatch) were knocking everybody out.

RIP: The lens cap to Melanie's Canon Rebel XTi, knocked overboard and lost at sea.

Loved: The nifty tote bags, emblazoned with the eCruise logo and all the sponsors.

Raffle-osity: How does one guy win three (3!) major prizes, including the much-coveted Netbook? I call shenanigans! ;-)

$: Financially, the trip was solidly in the black for the Chamber, thereby ensuring the eCruise will return next summer.

After-Party: Scandalous!

Programming Note: There will be NO AUGUST EBREW. But if a few folks wanted to meet at the Coat for pint night, I'm always up for that.

Why is this guy camping out at BestBuy?

Today I visited BestBuy in Newington to purchase a DVD. As I walked in, I noticed a young man sitting in one of those folding camp chairs next to the front door. At first, I couldn't quite figure out what he was doing there. But as I shopped, it occurred to me that it looked like he was camping out, presumably for some kind of hot new electronic product. But clearly, one person does not a line make, and I couldn't fathom what new electronic item could make him want to camp out on the sidewalk with a 12-pack of Coca-Cola under his chair.

Happily, when I was leaving, another similarly curious shopper had stopped and asked him the very question burning in my brain: "What are you doing here?"

"I'm camped out for the the Palm Pre!"

Uh... Oh. Okayyyyyy....

I listened as he explained that the BestBuy would have just five (5) available tomorrow morning and he wanted to be sure he got one. The young man (he appeared early 20s) had done his research and determined the Pre might not be available at the local Sprint store, so this was his only shot.

As he went on, he sounded so knowledgeable it was almost scripted, and I wondered, "Could he be a plant?!" Because, hey, that's a pretty good guerrilla marketing tactic. Plant somebody outside a retailer the day before a product luanch, give him some talking points, and let him evangelize. It could create buzz about the product and a perception of product scarcity. It could offer an opportunity to promote a product's features and advantages to a targeted audience, and delivered it from a neutral and trustworthy source. Best case, the plant could even create a line! Worst case, somebody might just blog about it. ;-)

For the low-down on the Pre, here's a great 3 minute video blog posted just a couple hours ago from the incomparable David Pogue of the New York Times:



Hmmm... I guess the Pre could stand for Pretty cool. But is it the iPhone killer? I guess one guy thinks so!

eCoast Wi-Fi Expansion - Front page news unbeknownst to me!

I was just alerted by a friend on Facebook that my face is on the front page of Seacoastonline.com. I was sure she was mistaken, but I clicked over to see and sure enough, there's me... Albeit a younger and pony-tailed version. So yes, our little wi-fi project is front-page news again!

At my meeting with the Chamber a couple weeks ago, I had heard we were getting close to installing another access point at Harbour Place. That's a great spot for it, as it will hit the Prescott Park, marina, and that end of Daniel Street.

The holy grail, however, would be in hitting the decks. I was at Ferry Landing a few weeks ago for dinner and while we waited, I pulled out my iPod Touch; although I was able to connect to a network (Linksys), there was sadly no Internet behind it. Deck coverage would be awesome -- just think of the bar bets you could settle instantly with access to Baseball-Reference.com or Wikipedia!

I am also hoping we can save a few dollars from our $10,000 grant money to put up a some signage. A couple street signs on the sidewalk -- say one in Market Square and one in Prescott Park -- would serve to to let pedestrian tourists know there's wi-fi in the air.

We should also get some coverage maps printed up for the Chamber kiosk. If you've got any clever marketing ideas to get the word out, please e-mail me or comment below. Thanks and enjoy the sun while it lasts!

There once was a blog...

Once was a blog called The Campbell Scoop;
It was tended every week or two.
But the blogger got bored,
The poor blog was ignored,
Now everybody asks, What's the poop?!

;-)

Sorry I've been "away," but in my defense, there really hasn't been much to report on lately. But recently I met at the Chamber of Commerce with Doug Bates, Tom Cocchiaro, and eCoast veterans such as Arlon Chaffee and Josh Cyr. There was lively discussion about the past -- and more importantly, the future -- of the eCoast. There was some grousing about false starts and dropped balls, but when we recalled the various events and programs we instituted back in the day, we became animated and proud -- fond memories came flooding back of the TechCrawl, the TechWorld Expo, and numerous committees and their pet projects. Perhaps the fondest memories were of the eCruise, our yearly eBrew excursion aboard the Thomas Laighton, and the good news is, after a year hiatus, the eCruise is back! We've got a major sponsor: SEEDA. And we've got a date: July 16th! More sponsorship opportunities are available, so contact Tom at the Chamber at (603) 610-5520 or email him.



See you onboard!

Super Bowl Ad Review

OK, we've had week to digest the Super Bowl and its commercials. I'm (mostly) over the disappointment of the Arizona upset-that-wasn't, although the officiating was bad enough for me to conclude that if it was the Super Bowl and as many ticky-tacky, wrong, or completely made-up calls went against the Patriots as went against the Cardinals, I would have absolutely lost my mind and probably broken things of value in and around the home. Anyway, here are some random thoughts on the commercials that (over)paid those ref's salaries.

• Once again and as always, the Budweiser ads were uniformly lame. Why they always score so highly is a mystery to me, not unlike the mystery of why people drink that swill in the first place.
  

• Once again and as always, any ad that has a guy getting whacked in the balls scores big with everyone... Except me. I find it sophomoric, sexist, and sad. This lowest-common denominator stuff just doesn't work for me.
  

• I thought it was interesting that the most gripping commercials were actually movie trailers: Star Trek, Transformers 2, Angels and Demons, and Land of the Lost all had our group riveted... Although we're dubious about LotL as a Will Farrell vehicle.
  

• Denny's out-TacoBells its competition by giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts, which paid off huge with mega-positive PR. CNN reports that people were lovin' it, and it even scored in the Twitter Bowl. BTW, the whipped-creamy ad was funny, too.
  

• I was struck by one ad that didn't run: The replaying of Apple's original classic 1984 Macintosh ad seemed a natural fit on this, its 25th anniversary. But alas, nothing doing.

My favorite commercial? By far, it was the 1-second Miller High Life commercial. The concept of not overpaying for a Super Bowl ad was timely as today's headlines, given the current state of the economy. The execution was perfect, with the likable delivery man character simply shouting out "High Life!" The effect was tangible, in that we were waiting for it, we thought we saw it, and we actually DVR'd back to make sure we saw it. This means we actively manipulated a DVR to watch a commercial rather than skip a commercial. Think about that for a second. And finally, it was beautifully leveraged with its own web site (www.1secondad.com) that tied into a loyalty rewards program Miller introduced last year. Nice work Miller! And given the math that nearly $3 million bought you a minute, they reached 1oo,000,000 viewers for $100,000. Nice return on investment, that.

Here it is, and don't blink!



I only go to USAToday.com once a year, and this is why: http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/admeter/2009-02-01-results-chart_N.htm I find the rankings fascinating, if not a little depressing, given that I obviously disagree strongly with the preponderance of the population.

Note: You can watch all the ads here on Hulu, the NBC/FOX online video experiment that even before its own clever Baldwin-driven Super Bowl ad, was a huge hit, despite the early nay-saying prognostications.

10th Anniversary eBrew this Thursday

Happy New Year! With every new year comes thoughts of times passed, and of times ahead. And you know how sometimes you look back over a period of time... Say, 10 years, and you think, "Wow, hard to believe it's been ten years... It's just flown by!" And other times, you think, "That was 10 years ago? Seems more like 20! And what was I thinking with that hair and those clothes?" Well, it's been 10 years since the very first eBrew, and for me, it definitely seems like it's been 10 years!

Yep, 10 years ago this month, I was sitting at a table at the Portsmouth Brewery with a handful of local tech-types having lunch. We got together because we all worked in Portsmouth in the high-tech arena, specifically the Internet, which at the time was still young and impressionable. We discussed the boundless opportunities and potential of Internet-based businesses we were starting. Then, we wondered aloud if anybody would notice us up here in this quaint little city in New Hampshire. Could we really hope to compete with Route 128, Austin, Seattle, and Silicon Valley? Or would this once-in-a-lifetime economic boom-time pass us by? We didn't want to move our start-ups and our families to where "the action was"; we loved it in Portsmouth and were determined to make it work here.

Based on my experience in marketing and public relations, I saw it as a classic PR problem. The NH Seacoast was (and still is) perceived as a great place to live, work, and play. Portsmouth is a well-established tourist town. But if we made people also aware of what was happening here on the high-tech front, then prospective clients and talented professionals would perceive us as a player in the Internet game... perhaps a mini Silicon Valley without the traffic? Or a Route 128 North without the taxes?

So there, over burgers and beers, we hatched a marketing plan to put us on the map. The Seacoast became the eCoast, a loose organization of tech-related businesses in the Greater Portsmouth area. Because together, we became part of something larger; not just a few tech start-ups in a small northern city, but a whole movement toward the ideal of working where you want to live, made possible by the go-anywhere Internet. And our monthly networking event, patterned after Boston's CyberBrew, became the eBrew.

Since then, we've survived booms and busts, recoveries and recessions. Companies have come and gone, but many more have stayed and thrived here in quaint ol' Portsmouth, NH. And nearly every month this past decade, there's been an eBrew where we could meet, have a drink, and talk about it. So come and join us at the 10th anniversary eBrew this Thursday evening at the Press Room. Let's celebrate what we've accomplished, and see what we can do here in the next 10 years!

3G and fiber-optic TV Come to Portsmouth!

1 if by by Air

One of the more compelling arguments against the new 3G iPhone was that there is no 3G network to speak of in New Hampshire. But that has changed recently, with the stealthy roll-out of 3G throughout the state and up the I-95 corridor into Maine. Late last month, Granite Staters began buzzing on MacRumors.com forums about the 3G bars they were seeing on their iPhones. On the 24th, a poster reported strong 3G signal in Portsmouth and Rye, and according to a post as of today, Concord and Manchester are apparently live now, as well. While the AT&T plan remains obnoxiously expensive, the advent of the speedier 3G network might make for a few more iPhones under the tree this season.

2 if by Land

Meanwhile, on the landline side of things, I came across this tasty little tidbit on Engadget the other day about Verizon's... OK, OK, FairPoint's... plans to roll-out TV service on their fiber network. In the past couple years, Verizon strung fiber-optics in limited areas in Portsmouth, happily including my neighborhood in Atlantic Heights. We signed up for the FiOS right away and have enjoyed fast, reliable fiber-optic Internet service: I just pulled 2.25 Mbps on CNet's broadband speed tester, for which I'm paying $44.99/mo. (Note: This is a negotiated/grandfathered rate. Your results may vary.)

Although the billing has been a nightmare since the FairPoint deal, the Internet speed is great and I'm generally a satisfied customer. But this news about the FTTH (Fiber to the Home) -- or IPTV as it's also known -- pilot program has me potentially moving from a satisfied to a happy customer. Although I knew the phone company could compete with Comcast on TV service with its fiber network, I expected they would concentrate on Boston or maybe the larger NH cities; then, after the FairPoint deal, I figured that pipe dream had gone up in smoke. But apparently, Portsmouth is where its at, as this is the only place FairPoint is doing the pilot. As you may recall, I'm a not-so-happy DirecTV customer, and let's face it, Comcast is no great shakes either, so I'm all for a 3rd option, and this might be it. And a free HDTV? Sign me up!

Update: I've e-mailed my application to FairPoint and they have responded with the generic "thank you for your interest" reply. I'll keep you posted!

Signs o' the Times

Drive down Woodbury Ave. these days and you'll get an eyeful of exactly what we're up against in these tough economic times: Sign after sign, being propped up by bored and cold people, advertising various going-out-of-business sales. For the record, they include:

Tweeter, Etc.
Whitehall Jewelers
Linens-n-Things
Kline's Furniture

BTW, Circuit City is closing lots of stores, but none in NH, so the Woodbury Ave location is safe for its loyal shoppers (like me) for now.

OTOH, according to this CNN/CareerBuilder study, we are in 16th best place in the country if you're looking to get -- or hold onto -- your job. They report:

Jobless rates were higher in 338 of the 369 U.S. metropolitan areas surveyed this July, which means 92 percent of cities have seen an increase in their unemployment rates. [...] Despite these startling figures, there are several cities with low unemployment rates and sizeable job growth.

16. Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Unemployment rate: 3.3 percent

Last year: 3.1 percent

Job growth: 2.8 percent

Hmmm... I wonder how many of these sign-holders are/were already employed by these companies? Or are these are these new jobs being created?

"Wanted: Sign Holders. Work outdoors! Plenty of fresh air! Must be able to stand in one place for inordinately long periods of time. Waving experience a plus."

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!

Nashua Wi-Fi on NECN

Good piece here on NECN by Lauren Collins on the Nashua Wi-Fi launch last week. I like how she uses my favorite term "dowsing for signal!" From a muni wi-fi admin perspective, I like the idea of making the users go pick up a password in the local shops, but as a user, I'd find it at least mildly annoying. (I was in the Portsmouth library last week and was frustrated to realize that after I had gotten myself comfortable upstairs with my book and my laptop, the network log-in screen told me to back downstairs to the front desk for the password.) Also, I really dig the street signs in Nashua. Note to self: We need those here in Portsmouth.

Finally, it's very refreshing to see the media cover a wi-fi installation with a positive or neutral bias on its own merits, instead of bringing up old nay-saying arguments or invoking the demise of Earthlink.

Nashua Wi-Fi Up

As noted below, the much-anticipated launch of Nashua's wi-fi has been well, much anticipated, due to various delays. My follow-up inquiry to the Telegraph Weds night about the project status was met a front-page story the next morning: Downtown Wi-Fi up and running, sort of. I love the article and the comments below it -- all the same old tired arguments! I'm sure one easily predict the reactions in every place that tries to put wi-fi in their downtowns, because they're always the same. What's more, they seem to break along political lines, with Republicans typically arguing ("infringing free markets," "wasting tax dollars," etc.), despite the evidence that wi-fi is an effective economic development tool for small businesses, and despite the fact that the US is far behind in broadband deployment. Anyway, good luck to the Nashua Chamber and its partners in this; we'll be watching and rooting for you from Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's Got Buzz

As I noted in my 15 Seconds of Fame post, our fair city has been getting more than its fair share of attention lately. You could say Portsmouth's got buzz.

Now, Outside Magazine has ranked us the #4 city in the country. NECN sent a reporter to check us out and somehow the poor thing didn't get to Annabelle's for ice cream. Let's go to the video:


Meanwhile, Newsday tagged us as well worth the 5-hour drive from Long Island. They even gave us props for our free wireless Internet. (Thanks for noticing!)

We might even qualify for the full 15 minutes if this keeps up!

3rd of July Fireworks Delayed...

...Til the 5th of July!

During the eBrew last night, I was online adding people to my eCoast Facebook group when I received this e-mail:

The City of Portsmouth Community Newsletter SPECIAL REPORT July 3, 2008

FIREWORKS POSTPONED
The City’s annual fireworks display scheduled tonight (Thursday, July 3) has been
postponed until Saturday (July 5) at 9:15 p.m.

Due to the rescheduled fireworks display, the Dog Park will be closed from 6 a.m.
Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday. The tennis and basketball courts, playground and
baseball areas will close by noon Saturday. The High-Hanover Parking Garage will
charge a flat $3 fee from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. For more information, see
www.CityofPortsmouth.com.

So, yep, anything to avoid the unacceptable ignominy of celebrating the 4th of July on, you know, the 4th!

Anyway, Happy 232nd Birthday America.

Concert for a Cure

Congrats to old pal Katie Paine on another successful iteration of Concert for a Cure, the annual cancer awareness concert at RedHook Brewery held this past Saturday. The event garnered big coverage in both local dailies: Herald and Fosters. Unfortunately, the old saw of "any publicity is good publicity, just as long as they spell my name right" doesn't apply to the Foster's piece.

Portsmouth's 15 Seconds of Fame

A friend told me a few weeks ago that Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel was in town recently filming for an upcoming segment that would include Portsmouth. Allergic to flying as I am, I'm not a big Travel Channel viewer, and I was afraid I'd miss it. But then there's this Internet thing; a Facebook buddy posted a link for it today.

Here's the video. Portsmouth gets mentioned at 2:09 in and goes to 2:40. (So it's 31 seconds, not 15. But in my title I wanted to play off the Andy Warhol thing, math be damned!)



Obviously this is picking up off the Distinctive Destinations designation Portsmouth received a while back. It also doesn't hurt that Samantha has roots here in NH.

Impeachment on the House Floor but not the Front Page

As a PR practitioner for nearly a decade, and as a voracious news hound my whole life (somewhere there's a picture of me reading the newspaper at age 7), I'm constantly fascinated by what makes the news and what doesn't. Today, I'm less fascinated and more saddened.

Last night, one congressman stood on the mostly-empty floor of the House of Representatives and read aloud 35 articles of impeachment of George W. Bush. He read for something on the order of 3 hours, pausing only to take an occasional sip of water as his words echoed and hung in the chamber. Taken in total, the articles are well-reasoned, detailed, annotated, and devastating.

And yet, the next morning, one must dig and dig hard to find any media coverage of the story online. The AP and Reuters broke the story as it happened, but then a funny thing happened, or didn't happen. The story failed to propagate.

These articles are a scathing indictment of a sitting president, highlighting the hubris and the incompetence that has pockmarked the past 7 years. From ignoring Richard Clarke's warnings of the impending 9/11 attacks, to grossly overstating Iraq's threat of WMDs, to awarding back-room billion-dollar no-bid contracts to Halliburton and Blackwater to operate above the law, to bungling the Hurricane Katrina response, to documented voter fraud and disenfranchisement, to firing US Attorneys for political reasons (and covering it up with "executive privilege"), to outing a covert CIA agent for political reasons (and covering it up with "executive privilege"), to the endorsement of torture and holding prisoners against the Geneva Convention and international law, to the systematic unconstitutional spying on Americans' phone calls and e-mails in ways that would make McCarthy blush, these articles of impeachment were ticked off eloquently and simply.

*Nota bene: None of the above is to say Mr. Bush is guilty of anything. He's innocent until proven guilty, of course. If guilty of any one of the 35 accusations, the president could be impeached. But to determine guilt, Congress must investigate, which is what the impeachment articles are asking to do. And to those who say Congress has "better things to do," I say what could be more important than maintaining the balance of powers our Founding Fathers held so dear and upholding the laws of the United States Constitution?

But regardless of the merits of the impeachment articles or of Mr. Bush's guilt or innocence, I am more concerned about the media's lack of response to them. If standing on the floor of Congress and calling for the removal of a sitting president doesn't rate as front page news -- and to most of the mainstream media outlets, it doesn't rate as any kind of news -- it makes one wonder. If they were baseless claims made in a reckless manner, would that constitute news? If they alleged sordid sexual dalliances of elected officials, would that constitute news? If they were delivered by someone taller or better looking, would that constitute news?

If the articles of impeachment were a vinyl LP record, the 35 tunes would read like the back of "Bush's Greatest Hits." Taken individually, each of these songs received tons of airplay. So why isn't the compilation album racing up the charts with a bullet? Because it's "old news?" Not with last week's Senate Intelligence Committee Report being issued, or with former White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan's book being released. In fact, at the same time the impeachment articles were presented, it was reported that McClellan will appear before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the Valerie Plame case. So current, relevant news hooks certainly do exist.

Obviously, the media is betting on this being a "non-story," i.e., insofar as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says impeachment is "off the table," the proceedings won't proceed. But polls like this one show that the public is in favor of impeachment proceedings.

As I wrote this, a blog was just posted on USAToday that links to the PDF of the impeachment document, so now you can read it for yourself. But USAToday -- the newspaper and the "official" web site -- continues to offer no coverage of this historic event. Turn on the TV, and it's not even an item in the news crawler on CNN.

So what can we do about it?

1. Blog it. Buzz it up on Yahoo. Digg it. Share it on Facebook. Rate it up on YouTube. If the mainstream media won't report the news, then use our social media networks to spread the word.

2. Support independent and alternative media outlets by advertising and subscribing. Here in Portsmouth we've got the Wire and the grand-daddy of them all, the NH Gazette. (You know this will be front page news for their next issue!)

3. And while most of us don't feel comfortable calling our congresspersons, why not try your local paper. Ask them directly to cover the stories you feel are important.

Hubba-hubba!

Only $199?!

3G and Wi-Fi?!

Pant, pant, pant!

Drool, drool, drool!

Nashua Wi-Fi Up July 4?

Very interesting, in-depth, and somewhat contentious article in the Nashua Telegraph here on Nashua's troubles getting its wi-fi project up and running. There's some good old-fashioned finger-pointing going on, since the launch has been delayed several times already, and they've given themselves another hard deadline of July 4th. "Our reputations are on the line," says Nashua Chamber of Commerce President Chris Williams. Talk about backing yourself into a corner! Then old friend Bob Goldstein from SingleDigits has some pointed things to say about how the project has been handled, or mishandled, so far.

To e-Brew or Not to e-Brew

There was no e-Brew last night.

Or was there?

Stay tuned.

;-)

Dover's Wi-Fi Moving Forward

Once again, flying in the face of such wicked media-driven wi-fi flame-outs as Philadelphia and San Francisco, we are seeing that smaller cities are fulfilling the promise of municipal wireless Internet. And they're showing it's not that hard.

Yesterday's Foster's reported that the Dover NH City Council OK'd the plan to install wi-fi access points throughout the main downtown corridor. All it took was this:

1. Last year, Dover Main Street and Dover Chamber of Commerce applied for, and received, a $10,000 from the state Dept of Economic Development.

2. In December, Dover negotiated another $25,000 from Comcast when they re-upped their Cable Franchise Renewal Agreement. This is smart for both sides. Comcast has essentially a monopoly, so why not give a little back to the city? Gains a lot of good will, and since they offer Internet services, it's mission-centric to boot. Meanwhile, the city is well within its rights to ask for a little something in return for the franchise. It's your prototypical win-win.

3. Dover ponies up $30,000 of its own. This, too, is key. Many cities go too far one way or the other -- either they expect someone to come in and give them the wi-fi for free, or they try to buy and own the whole thing. Dover's approach is very reasonable. Take a little from the state, a little from private enterprise, and give a little out of the tax rolls. So to review: Multiple revenue streams + multiple stakeholders = wi-fi success story.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for big news on our eCoast Wi-Fi Project ongoing in Portsmouth!

Addendum: This just in! Today's Portsmouth Herald: City expands free wireless Internet access.

Sex and the City... of Portsmouth!

In today's Portsmouth Herald, Rachel Forrest features my old pal Dave Cummins, star of stage and screen! In one scene in the new Sex and the City feature film, we find Mr. Cummins sitting at the head table with stars Kim Cattrall, Chris Noth ("Big"), and Sarah Jessica Parker. (But Dave, where's Kristin Davis? She's my favorite! For obvious reasons...)

In a related story, local businesses are also trying to get into the act, but only David makes the scene for real!

"Sex and the City: The Movie" will be in theaters tomorrow. In fact, unless I'm reading this wrong, you can catch it at the Fox Run Regal Cinema at midnight tonight?!

Even better, Rotten Tomatoes has it at 65% fresh!

Bike to Work Day!

It's tomorrow! Now, I don't want to hear any excuses, cuz I'm doing it, too! My six-mile commute is no endurance run, and it's no cake walk, either. But it makes sense on so many levels: reducing my carbon footprint... saving the gas $... cleaning out my genetically-blocked arteries... sssallgood. ;-)

Skate over to the SABR site linked above and register for the free bagel at checkpoints around the Seacoast. Mmmm... Carboload!

I'll post a pic here of me on my bike as proof that I did it, and I challenge you all to do the same in the comments.

(Oh yah, but if it rains, screw my carbon footprint, I'm out!)

Big Apple Comes to Boston

We've had an Apple Store (or as I like to call it, "Mecca") in Tax-Free-Salem-New-Hamsphire (as the advertisers like to call it) for many years. Now the company is opening a store in Boston. It's big news for sure: Front page of the Sunday Boston Globe's Business section this past weekend and its sparked an active discussion thread on Boston.com.

Big kudos to the Apple marketing group who came up with this Red Sox themed signage. Creating an homage to Fenway Park's Green Monster to hide the construction is a stroke of genius. And for Apple, the branding king of the world, to play off the Sox demonstrates just how powerful the Red Sox brand has become.

Incidentally, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is also opening a store in Maine this year, although in their typical AppleSecret M.O., they won't say when or where. The Portland Press-Herald reports it could negatively impact those independent Apple Authorized Resellers who had been holding down the fort. It's certainly a concern, but I tend to see it as a "rising tide lifting all boats" situation.

For instance, I bought a new laptop battery -- for the MacBook on which I'm typing now -- from a local independent shop called MacEdge. They're in the Bowl-a-Rama plaza on Rt.1 South, just a couple miles from my house, whereas Mecca is a solid 40 miles to the West. With gas prices these days, the more Macs are sold (be it at Apple retail stores, BestBuy, online, or through resellers), the more demand there'll be for local service centers for repairs, peripherals, et cetera.

I note that Michael Oh, who operates Tech Superpowers on all-too-near Newbury Street, is using the Apple Store's arrival to refocus his operations toward professional and business accounts, smartly ceding retail consumers to Apple corporate. And yes, as a true Apple geek, he's ramped up about the new store, too, even if might be competition: Check out the "Birth of an Apple Store" blog featuring his way-cool webcam chronicling the construction.

Most importantly, I wonder if I could get to Boston on Thursday night in time to get one of those free opening day t-shirts?

Local Boy Still Making Good

Old pal Dave Cummins has scored again! Here's the latest posting from his Facebook page:

David J Cummins (New York, NY) wrote
at 1:47pm on May 10th, 2008

If you are reading this and it is Tuesday May 13th...tune in to As The World Turns on CBS at 2pm EDT...or go online to cbs.com and see it at 6pm EDT. Look for me in the background during the outdoor cafe scene shot at The Boathouse in Central Park...I think I may be right on camera...but alas...no speaking this time...but good things are coming...tune in soon for some big news.

The Wine Guy on the Shelf

Here's wishing Papa Campbell, Portsmouth's favorite Wine Guy, a speedy recovery from his recent surgery. The shop is open sporadically with "Backup Wine Guy" Paul running the show, so you might want to call ahead: 431-2640.

Back from vacation... Back to work... Back to blogging

Ever have one of those vacations when you come back and say, "Man, I need a vacation from that vacation!" Well, yah, that's me. Thanks to SkyBus, my Portsmouth-to-Punta Gorda door-to-door flight became the airline itinerary-from-hell. Our replacement flight down, Southwest (MHT to TAM), was OK, although we sat for an hour on the tarmac while they figured out why they couldn't refuel. (Really? How does that even happen? Ever pull up to a gas station and not be able to put the nozzle in the hole?!) So we arrived late, rented a car in Tampa, and didn't get to Mom's house until midnight. The flights back were on JetBlue. We left the house at 8:30AM. We loved the DirecTV in the seat-backs, but the turbulence on the first leg (FLL to IAD) was brutal for nervous fliers such as myself. ("Stewardess? Scotch, please. Actually, make it a double.") Then we sat at Dulles ("Putting the Dull in Dulles since 1962") for eight (8!) hours while we waited for our connector to get out of Boston, get down there, and get us back to Boston. When we finally got on the plane, there was a computer problem and they essentially needed to reboot the entire plane! Not sure if the pilot saw the BSOD in the cockpit or if they're running Vista or what, but that was weird. Of course, we arrived after C&J stopped running, so we rented a car and arrived home sometime after 3AM. For those of you doing the math at home, that's Florida to New Hampshire in about 19 hours.

Yep, I need a vacation.

Anyway, lots of blogging backed up in my queue, so stay tuned!

Local Girl Makes Good

Yep, this is my pizza girl. I've been visiting Savario's Pizza, a little hole-in-the-wall on State Street in Portsmouth, almost every Friday night for... I dunno... A decade? (If you're a pizza lover, check them out. See reviews here and here. Personally, I recommend the 12" red with spinach and sausage.) Often, a teen-aged Gina Catalino was working the register for her dad, pizza-making genius Frank. But a couple years ago, she flew the coop of Portsmouth to launch her budding music career. As you can see, she's done pretty well for herself! Her music is featured on the Showtime TV show "The L Word" and just last week she visited NBC studios for the live performance you see above. Check her out on MySpace.

They Will Appease Us

Good news to report from the Corporations-Screwing-Scott File.

DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) and I had a nice chat on the phone yesterday. They've discounted our bill about 19% for the next year, and we got one free day of NFL Sunday Ticket. (Did you know you can buy Sunday Ticket the day of the game, just for the day?!) They also helped us discover a package on our bill that we thought we needed for NESN, but didn't. Good news, we save $23/mo; bad news, we've been spending $23/mo. So we are appeased, for now. With today being the Red Sox home opener and World Series ring ceremony at Fenway, there's no chance the picture will go out again, right?!

Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that our Florida vacation is saved! My mom sprung into action and was able to secure 1-way tickets with Southwest and JetBlue. Of course, these tickets cost considerably more than the $30 seats we had secured with SkyBus. Does the Bush administration see the irony here? They want us to not hesitate to spend to "keep the economy going," but when we plan a vacation, the airline goes under due to fuel costs that are nearly twice what they had budgeted for. These fuel costs are, of course, a result of: 1.) Unstable conditions in the Middle East, caused by our invasion of Iraq; 2.) A plummeting dollar caused by Bush's economic policies; and 3.) Corporate greed on the part of the oil companies. So now we're spending 5 times more for the flight, which will obviously affect our spending power on the vacation considerably. So much for your "economic stimulus package," Mr. Bush!

OK, so that was a rant. This was supposed to be a good news blog filing, but I got off on a tangent there. Sorry about that. Stay tuned for another good news post later today, which will be entitled "Local Girl Makes Good." Or "My Pizza Girl Sure Can Sing." Or something else that doesn't suck so much.

SkyBus Goes South; My Vacation Hangs in Limbo

A couple weeks ago, SeacoastOnline.com had an online poll asking if we were optimistic about the chances SkyBus would make it. I voted that I was optimistic. My brother and his family had just done the Pease to Punta Gorda, Florida, trip and had a good experience with SkyBus, and I'm an optimist by nature. But the poll results were less sanguine, and today, I was awoken by a call from my mom in Punta Gorda. SkyBus was bankrupt, and our vacation was in limbo.

Of course, it's the top story on the Herald site. Foster's has a detailed story here. On SkyBus.com, it there's this helpful tidbit for my mom, who fronted for the tix: "Passengers holding reservations for Skybus flights scheduled to depart on or after Saturday, April 5, 2008 should contact their credit card companies to arrange to apply for a refund."

Currently, my mom is trying to do the super-hero thing and save our vacation, which was to be my first in several years. I was starting to calculate the driving cost, but I may be the only one in the family willing do to the 24-hour road-trip. As this writing, she has secured $99 tix one-way to Florida.

Can this vacation be saved? Stay tuned!

And RIP SkyBus. And Pan Am. And Allegiant. And... Is it just me, or was this airport built over an Indian burial ground? I think a saw a Scooby-Doo episode just like this!

Where, Why, Wi-Fi?

David Brooks, the Granite Geek himself, notified me of this a couple weeks ago. In its review of the status of wi-fi hotspots around the country, Wired magazine somehow gave Portsmouth a miss completely, despite the fact that we've had free municipal wireless Internet available in downtown Market Square since 2003. I did some digging and found that even MuniWireless, who had covered our expansion plans mere months ago, also did not have us listed. I've written both, hoping they will correct their errors of omission. MuniWireless has now fixed theirs as you can see here; I'm wondering now if that's where Wired got their erroneous info.

Baseball fans need DirecTV... to work

The fallout from yesterday's DirecTV debacle continues to, well, fall. Like SkyLab.

A Google News search shows well over 120 news items on the subject, with the AP picking up the story late yesterday afternoon. The Portsmouth Herald did a nice story on it today: DirecTV Fails Sox Fans in Opener on page 1. And notably, Seth Mnookin, author of the excellent book Feeding the Monster, blogged about his consternation: DirecTV, How Do I Hate Thee? Let me count the ways.

Meanwhile, the PR geniuses at DirecTV are taking a hide-and-see approach to their problem. They haven't fessed up to what exactly happened, and that lack of transparency gives one pause. In the Boston Herald's piece Viewers Strike Out as DirecTV Goes on DL, the company "wouldn’t say how many customers missed the game, how many complained (we’re guessing many) and what exactly went wrong."

In this piece on WBZ-TV.com, you can see the company taking the word obtuse to new levels.

BTW, I find it interesting to note that DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) launched a new bird over the Pacific on the 20th, and that the company CEO sold 25,000 shares of stock on Monday.

Further adding to the company's problems, if you look at the blog postings and comments, far too many customers reported that the customer service people working the phones were not helpful and "rude."

Finally, they are being coy about how they might compensate subscribers for the "inconvenience." Note: My bill says it cost $23 for NESN this month. Ahem.

For counterpoint on how to handle a technical glitch that impacts the customer experience, NetFlix confessed to me today that they had a delay in their shipping (which I didn't even notice) and proactively took 10% off my next bill, with me having to do absolutely nothing.

Boston, we have a problem.

What was supposed to be an unique television event -- the live broadcast by dawn's early light of the Red Sox season opener from Tokyo -- became a debacle for DirecTV this morning when a widespread outage affected thousands of unhappy customers, including this one. I got up at 6AM to find the screen "searching for signal" on both NESN and ESPN2.

After resetting the box, testing other channels, and, yes, making sure we paid our bill, a call to customer service yielded 15 minutes of bad hold music, followed by a terse response from a harried customer service rep: "It is a known issue. We are working on it." Super.

While trying to tune the game in on AM radio (is it just my imagination, or is AM radio reception worse these days?), we went poking around the Internet for news of the problem. We found the news had reached the Boston Globe's live game blogger, who posted news of the outage between game updates. These in-game blog entries typically never get comments, but within minutes, there were a dozen. A half hour later, 30 more "me-toos." Now, 218 comments from angry fans have piled up. The Globe's Erik Wilbur has also blogged on it, garnering 30 comments. Even ESPN's Buster Onley complained about it on-air, and he blogged it, too.

This is a PR nightmare for DirecTV.

Meanwhile, to their credit, the company hosts user forums on their web site. This is smart business on their part, allowing users to compare notes and troubleshoot without going off-site and without tying up technical support lines. But as you can see for yourself here, they're now hosting well over 100 company-hostile postings.

As of 11AM, with the game all over but the shouting, the problem was not resolved on my TV. Now, instead of getting a black screen with "searching for signal," you see a placard "No need to call us. We are aware this TV station is temporarily unavailable. We'll have this channel back as soon as possible. Sorry for the interruption."

DirecTV to Face the Wrath of Red Sox Nation

What's interesting now is how the satellite TV giant handles the fallout. To a die-hard fan, there is nothing they can do to fix it, because they can't give us back the experience we missed. The game will be re-aired at 2:30PM today, IF the technical difficulties are resolved. I've set my DVR to record it, but the content of the game is far less important than missing the event. I listened to the game on the radio; I know what happened, and I can read countless news accounts of the game's events. But the opportunity to watch it happen, live, is gone.

DirecTV's modus operandi is usually to issue partial credits in the event of an outage. But judging from the level of vitriol in some of these blog commentsI doubt that will be enough. Get the Blue Screen of Death enough times and you decide it's time for a Mac. A dissatisfied consumer's only recourse in this situation is simply to take their business elsewhere. (Umm, that's 1-800-COMCAST for those of you keeping score at home. Or 1-888-GET-FIOS to see if Verizon's new TV service is available in your area.)

Baseball is back! And so is Jordan's... Kinda, Sorta.

When the Boston Red Sox take the field in Japan tonight -- yep, that'll be 6AM Eastern Standard Time here -- it'll mark the beginning of the 2008 baseball season! With it, we'll also see the return of one of most clever promotional campaigns in recent memory by Jordan's Furniture. Last year's "Monster Deal" meant that when Jon Papelbon whiffed the final batter, 24,000+ happy furniture shoppers received rebates for the purchases they made in the spring, making the Sox victory just that much more sweet.

To be eligible for free sofas and mattresses in this year's promo, you'll need to make a purchase between March 25 and April 27. But this year, they're being "stingier," as the Boston Globe puts it, requiring not only that the Sox repeat their World Series championship performance of 2007, but also that they sweep their World Series opponent in 4 straight games. Now, granted, they did sweep the Cardinals in 2004, and they did sweep the Rockies last year, but this is one tall order for the local nine! No doubt the insurance company that underwrote last year's promotion (at a cost north of $20 million) is behind this rule tightening... Spoil sports!

Last year's promotion generated truckloads of free positive publicity for Jordan's, and it solidified the company's association with the uber-popular Boston Red Sox. It was, in short, a marketing home run. But this year's event will struggle to recapture the magic, not only because the promo seems, well, played, but because the odds are so long. To me, this one looks like it'll die on the warning track.

Meanwhile, the Sox traveling road show is a grand slam by Major League Baseball. The Oakland A's are on record that they feel like the hapless Washington Generals in this battle of baseball globetrotters, and there's now no doubt that Red Sox Nation extends far into the Far East. That Japanese expatriate Daisake Matsuzaka is pitching the opener is that much more of an attraction, so set your alarm, chill your beer (hey, it's after 5PM in Tokyo, remember), and enjoy the game. And if you're feeling lucky, you might shoot your laptop over to Jordan's web site and do a little shopping... It might pay off come October.

Port City Web on the Move

Good to hear that Port City Web is returning to the fold of downtown Portsmouth, AKA the eCoast epicenter. (Actually, right next door to the Portsmouth Chamber!)

According to PCW's latest press release, that's not all that's new. New HQ digs... New services... New spin-off businesses... New hardware... Nice new web site, too! Boy Erik, no moss grows on you!

Media, take notice: Businesses news doesn't have to be all gloom-and-doom!

Best of the Best

About this time every year for nearly a decade, I looked forward to the NH Internet Awards. But now, it's RIP NHIA.

The powers that be (i.e., McLean Communications -- NH Magazine, NH Business Review, etc.) have shifted their efforts to a more general business recognition program. Personally, this makes me a little sad, like when Interface Tech News ceased to be. Hell, I still remember the NEWD Awards, which drew 1000 young, eager, hip, web-type-folks people to the Avalon for the awards on my birthday in 2000. Man, what a party! But I digress. Or regress.

Now, there's no NH-only recognition program for web designers; if you're in that biz, you'll have to compete in regionally, nationally, and internationally, and as small fish in a larger pond, it's a lot harder to make a splash. Your best shot is the MITX Interactive Awards (formerly MIMC Awards) in Boston.

Hmmm... Or if you're based in Maine, looks like the MESDA "Geeks in Black" Technology Awards are still going. Good for them!

So anyway, now NH Business Review is doing "The BOB Awards" where BOB = "Best of Business." The inaugural event is scheduled Wednesday, March 19. Maybe you'll get a 'Bobbie' if you win? Like, a little golden guy shaped like a British policeman?

FYI, here's the rest of NHBR's recognition programs.

Meanwhile, NH Magazine is doing their annual "Best of NH" poll. Restaurateurs, take notice: With categories from "best fries" to "best wine list," you're bound to find a space in which your house specialty can compete. When I vote, I'm always torn between the pride of having my favorite pizza place honored, and the fear that my favorite pizza place will be discovered, if you follow my reasoning.

It's never to early to put Mass High Tech's awards into your calendar. They're now taking nominations for Tech All-Stars 2008 (deadline August 22) and TechCitizenship (Sept 26). Don't forget they're always taking nominations for "The Pitch," where you can put your start-up company in the running to be spotlighted on page 3 with your pitch for funding.

More immediately, NH High Tech Council's Entrepreneur of the Year deadline is April 15.

And MITX is taking applications for their competitive Technology Awards until March 28. The competition features 9 different categories, hitting on business intelligence, marketing, social media, even gaming and virtual reality technologies. Good stuff!