Go postal... literally. The US Postal Service is having a hard time finding revenue. There are already postal offices throughout the country and in local communities. If these facilities act as wireless broadband points, you could bring more users into USPS facilities and perhaps influence their activities regarding services. You could charge a nominal fee of $12/year ($1/month) for an email account that is completely ad-free. People could then link their electronic billing to their "USPS guaranteed" email accounts so if they don't have bank accounts, they can pay in cash at the postal counter (like a money order) and receive an account credit to pay bills. The fee for the money exchange would replace stamp costs. Also, by being a community wireless broadband provider, the USPS would fulfill its mission of delivering mail (albeit e-mail) to remote locations. Another vision is that a person without a computer could walk up to a USPS kiosk and type out an email with the option of the email to be printed and delivered to a person without access to a computer (perhaps a disabled person who cannot make it to the office and who does not have access to a computer). So instead of having to physically transmit a letter coast-to-coast, the letter can be printed at its destination saving fuel costs.
@Edgeknight US postal service needs to get all over IPV6. They should be able to sell individuals their own IPV6 address that is assigned forever, and any electronic device they own, gets that address.
For those looking for a device strictly for reading, the new Kobo is a nice little option. It's small enough to slip into a pocket, can do more with a PDF than the competition, and at $129, it's $10 cheaper than both the Nook and Kindle WiFi.
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Go postal... literally. The US Postal Service is having a hard time finding revenue. There are already postal offices throughout the country and in local communities. If these facilities act as wireless broadband points, you could bring more users into USPS facilities and perhaps influence their activities regarding services. You could charge a nominal fee of $12/year ($1/month) for an email account that is completely ad-free. People could then link their electronic billing to their "USPS guaranteed" email accounts so if they don't have bank accounts, they can pay in cash at the postal counter (like a money order) and receive an account credit to pay bills. The fee for the money exchange would replace stamp costs. Also, by being a community wireless broadband provider, the USPS would fulfill its mission of delivering mail (albeit e-mail) to remote locations. Another vision is that a person without a computer could walk up to a USPS kiosk and type out an email with the option of the email to be printed and delivered to a person without access to a computer (perhaps a disabled person who cannot make it to the office and who does not have access to a computer). So instead of having to physically transmit a letter coast-to-coast, the letter can be printed at its destination saving fuel costs.
@Edgeknight US postal service needs to get all over IPV6. They should be able to sell individuals their own IPV6 address that is assigned forever, and any electronic device they own, gets that address.