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Akron, Ohio to provide free citywide WiFi, inevitably fail within a few years
Municipal WiFi systems in the US have been pretty much failures across the board, but the good people of Akron, Ohio are apparently in for another go-round -- the city's just committed some $800,000 to build out a free wireless network over the next five years. The service will be installed and operated by a nonprofit called OneCommunity, which just received a $4.5M grant as part of a $25M commitment from the John S. and John L. Knight Foundation to implement digital access projects in 26 cities. The University of Akron has kicked in another $350,000, since the signal will cover its campus as well as the downtown area -- all in, some 90,000 residents and 31,000 workers will get access through the project. The network will start lighting up in the next year -- let's hope it fares better than other city WiFi projects.[Thanks, Glenn]
Digital realignment in Ohio could wreak havoc on TWC DVRs
Although Time Warner has been handing out heaps of HD channels in the state of Ohio here lately, some subscribers could face a few headaches in the coming days. As of this week, the carrier is realigning its digital channels in order to "create a uniform lineup across all of its systems, including those it acquired from Adelphia." Unfortunately for customers, this means that they'll have to reprogram their DVR to record shows / series after the changes occur, and worse, it could affect some of the content already on there. When asked if the change would erase stored programs, a TWC spokesman (unsurprisingly) replied: "We're not sure." Weirder still, the company has actually gone so far as to post a how-to guide of transferring saved television shows from your DVR onto another medium (VHS, DVD, etc.), and it's encouraging subscribers to do so to ensure they don't lose any content. Um, thanks? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
AT&T routs U-verse services to Northeastern Ohio
Not only did Clevelanders get blessed with a full-time HD channel to check out their Indians this season, but consumers in the area now have yet another option for acquiring content. Announced today, AT&T has strung U-verse service up to Northeastern Ohio, giving Columbus residents one less thing to brag about. Citizens in 135,000 living units within Cleveland, Akron and surrounding areas can now phone up the carrier and order their own fiber-based TV and internet service, but ironically enough, SportsTime Ohio HD has yet to land a carriage deal with AT&T. Decisions, decisions.
WoW Moviewatch: Mr. Lonely
Sometimes I forget that I'm a giant WoW nerd, and that I see things that maybe not all our readers have seen. I know this made the rounds a little while back, but I think it's an excellent example of a WoW Music Video. The song is by Akron Akon (EDIT: I swear, I'm addicted to the R key this week), originally, not the Chipmunks. After watching the video, I'm left with one nagging question, "Can gnomes and night elves even hook up, biologically speaking?" Honestly though, the skills that are out there when it comes to Machinima are impressive. I wish I could just fire up FRAPS, throw the video onto my iMac and create some magic with iMovie, but I think it's outside my skillset (which is mostly limited to playing WoW, writing about WoW, and watching WoW videos). If you have a great example of a WoW video, be it music or otherwise, send us a tip!
Nanofiber bandages slated to heal en masse next year
While we've seen a few snazzy band-aids in our day, not to mention talking first aid kits, a nanofiber bandage that can heal typical skin wounds faster is about to go mainstream. University of Akron professors Daniel Smith and Darrell Reneker are growing ever closer to bringing their invention to life, as a trial just wrapped up in Columbia that they hope will "win them FDA approval for clinical trials in the United States." The duo used electricity to spin ultrafine polymer fibers while infusing them with chemicals that open a wound to oxygen; then, the treated fibers "reduce inflammation, kill bacteria and repair slow-healing wounds faster than conventional methods," according to Smith. Moreover, the creators have already found a Minnesota-based firm willing to mass produce the nanobandages should they receive the green light, but the professors are hoping to build the new manufacturing plant in Ohio if at all possible, and have products on retail shelves "by 2008" at the latest. Given the presumed popularity of the quick-healing bandages, the team is continuing to work on other "nanofiber products" in their spare time, hoping that the mending aid is just the beginning of a long line of sweet nano-based products to come.[Via MedGadget]
