Massachusetts
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Verizon's FiOS TV coming soon to Rowley, Massachusetts
As much of the country waits with bated breath, New England has claimed yet another FiOS TV hotspot -- well, almost. Reportedly, the Board of Selectmen in Rowley, Massachusetts granted a cable franchise to Verizon this past Monday, which essentially paves the way for some 1,800 more households in the Bay State to soon receive another option for television delivery. The agreement ensures that the number of Massachusetts communities in which the fiber-based service is available in will grow to 63, but unfortunately, there's no definitive word on when the inhabitants of Rowley will be able to take VZW up on its offers.
Massachusetts gets even more FiOS TV coverage
If you've got a hankerin' for FiOS TV, and you've come to grips with the reality that it's not headed your way in the foreseeable future, you should seriously check out the open houses in Massachusetts. As if The Bay State really needed any more love from Verizon (okay, so we're envious), consumers in Waltham and Sherborn now have access to its fiber-optic television service. The new additions have made FiOS TV available to some 20,000 more households, and it bumps the amount of Massachusetts communities it's available in to 60. Oh, and just in case it wasn't apparent -- Verizon is "currently negotiating with several other communities in [the state] to obtain additional franchises."
Mod chip raid victim details the experience
While US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement are remaining tight-lipped about what exactly they have seized thus far, a certain modder has come forward to depict his story and explain the experience of getting raided by the fuzz. After agents woke up his grandmother and perused her domicile with a warrant in hand, they confiscated a number of consoles and spare parts around the house before heading out to find the man behind FallsInc. Once locating him at his girlfriend's dwelling, they persuaded him to hand over everything even remotely related to modding, and he was left with "nothing of worth" outside of a computer monitor and his vehicle. Unsurprisingly, the culprit (or victim, depending on perspective) feels that his "life was taken away by a ludicrous interpretation of the DCMA" as the "little guy" was taken down while mass piraters remain at large. To read his whole account, be sure and tag the read link.
Apple Store openings: Did you go?
It was a good weekend in Holyoke, Massachusetts and Ann Arbor, Michigan, as each city opened a new Apple Store on Saturday. As usual, we ask any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. So, did you go, and if you did, how was it? Let us know in the comments. I wanted to get up to the Holyoke store, but real life had other plans for me. I wonder if the opening will affect the authorized retailer in neighboring Northampton, MA.Anyway, here's hoping you scored a T-shirt, the Opening Day Contest's grand prize and, dare we say, an iPhone!Finally, if you haven't gone down to the stores yet, show us a little love and set the in-store Macs to TUAW!
Apple Store Holyoke, MA set to open
Massachusetts' seventh Apple store - and the first outside of greater Boston - will open on Saturday, July 21st in the Holyoke Mall at 10:00 AM. As usual, the first 1,000 visitors will receive commemorative T-shirts and a special opening day giveaway will feature very nice prizes. If you visit the store on opening weekend, please send us your stories and photos.Speaking of Boston, the concrete foundation has been poured for the new flagship store that will grace Boylston Street in the city's Back Bay. I can't wait until this location finally opens!
Turtles don solar-powered communicators in the name of science
For biologists who aren't down with tracking blazing fast cheetahs and computer engineers who aren't keen on their hardware just galloping away, strapping solar-powered communicators on none other than a 40-pound turtle was a no-brainer. Dubbed M16, the giant snapper commandeered by scientists from the University of Massachusetts is now sporting a "postcard-sized waterproof computer" that tracks and records data about the endangered species and beams it back to the campus when the creature moseys on by a base station. Much like a few military applications we've seen, the idea here is to "create a network of constantly moving devices (or animals) that record and store information, transmit data from one device to another," and finally upload it into a database. No word on whether webcams or high-powered lasers will get added in to the second wave of shell-bound rigs.
FIRST Robotics champion crowned, Dean Kamen elated
Tossing up autonomous robots into the galaxy to perform a variety of prototypical tests is intriguing to say the least, but a trio of high-school teams were able to bring robotic competition a bit closer to home as they took home the gold in the highly-anticipated FIRST Robotics corrivalry. Cooked up by Dean Kamen (you know, the Segway inventor) in 1989, the challenge garnered entrants from a whopping 23 countries this year, and teammates from Bobcat Robotics from South Windsor, Connecticut, Highrollers from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Gompei and the HERD from Worcester, Massachusetts were able to craft the most dexterous and successful machine. Their creation reportedly excelled at "completing simple -- albeit goofy -- tasks such as shooting balls or stacking inner tubes," but we can already imagine the evil potential these innocent bots already posses. Apparently, "thousands of screaming high-school participants" were in attendance to witness the unveiling of a new champion, and if the popularity of this contest is any indication, we could be seeing these uber-intelligent, entirely autonomous robot armies being constructed an awful lot sooner than previously expected hoped.
Massachusetts tries Jack Thompson's failed Utah game bill
Massachusetts' legislators have been offered up HB 1423, a game bill which seeks to "restrict the sale of video games wih [sic] violent content to minors." "Harmful to minors" is defined as content describing or representing nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement, "so as to appeal predominantly to the prurient interest of minors." Section four of the bill is where the civil rights lawyers are going to have a field day. It states a game is harmful to minors if it "lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors." That's about as broad as making brush strokes with Mr. Fantastic's super powers.Why does this all seem oddly familiar? This bill was created with the assistance of Jack Thompson and similar versions were shot down in Utah and deemed unconstitutional in Louisiana. Mayor Thomas Menino, one of the petitioners of the bill, was one of those who pushed through a ban on M rated game advertisements on the subway and got very upset during the infamous Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb incident. Hopefully this bill will die somewhere along the path, because we're sure the citizens of Massachusetts aren't looking to pay back the ESA when this bill is deemed unconstitutional in the courts ... again.
Diebold cries 'do over!' after losing Massachusetts contract
Now we know that we're not supposed to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but when habitually-shady voting machine manufacturer Diebold loses a $9 million contract and starts whining about it in court, well, we think it's okay to make an exception. As the nation's leading election thrower e-voting provider, old Diebold thought that it was a shoo-in to win the Massachusetts Secretary of State's bid for 3,500 terminals for disabled voters -- and was so shocked when the contract was awarded to rival AutoMARK, that it's actually going to court to have the contract overturned or revisited at the very least. The company's completely immodest argument against the state and Secretary William Galvin basically boils down to this: "Since we've beaten AutoMARK for contracts all over the country, it only makes sense that we get this one too -- and because we didn't, there must be some cheating going on." For his part, Galvin calls the suit "frivolous" and claims that the best candidate did in fact win: disabled voters who tested all the machines reportedly formed a consensus around the AutoMARKs, and those machines have the added benefit of employing the same paper ballots as regular units, helping to ensure users' privacy. Despite the fact that it has "no hard evidence of unfair treatment," Diebold is nonetheless seeking an injunction on the use of its competitor's gear (some of which has already been delivered), or optimally, a complete reversal of the state's decision. No timetable on a decision yet, but when Diebold's forced to crawl back to Ohio with its tail between its legs, we'll let ya know.[Via Slashdot]
Cancer patient has Xbox 360 stolen whilst in hospital
There's inhumane, and then there's despicable, but unfortunately for a 17-year old cancer patient receiving treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, he knows all too well about both of them. A Vermont-based teenager had been suffered from osteosarcoma, bone cancer in the leg, and was "recovering from surgery" a few hundred miles away from home. Apparently, someone(s) the family actually knew broke into their home while they were obviously away, and proceeded to jack his Xbox 360 as well as "over $1,000 worth of games and DVDs" while they were at it. Local police suggest that they "do have some good leads involving current and former students at local high schools," and while none of the culprits have been apprehended just yet, folks have been more than generous in helping Jeff return to some state of normalcy by donating funds to help with family expenses, and one individual actually dropped off a new Xbox 360 console for a local radio station to deliver.[Via Xbox360Fanboy]
Verizon FiOS hitting 50Mbps in more states
Sure, it's not quite 100Mpbs, but hey, the folks in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will probably take what they can get. Verizon has just announced that Massachusetts and Rhode Island have now joined New York, Connecticut and New Jersey as states where Verizon "has increased the maximum connection speed of both its mid-tier and top-tier FiOS Internet services." Previously, their mid-range connection topped out at 15Mbps downstream and a paltry 2Mbps upstream, while the high-end package offered just 30Mbps up and 5Mbps down. Basically no other details were given, but Verizon did state that it planned on bringing similar speed boosts to "11 other states where the service is available" during the course of this year, but didn't mention any type of price decreases from the admittedly lofty monthly charges top-tier customers currently pay. Now, how about we get FiOS to more homes before giving all the lucky ones even more bandwidth to play with next time you get the itch to upgrade, okay Verizon?[Via GigaOM]
PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous
While selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn't worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn't quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for "attempted murder and robbery." One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains "on the loose." While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far -- so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we'd say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won't.Update: Looks like the second fellow has now been apprehended and faces his own $1 million bond. Tsk tsk.
Massachusetts college to podcast acceptance letters
Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (my fair state) has announced that they will send an email to 1,000 future freshmen that contains a link to the school's podcast in iTunes. The podcast features the school's president Dr. Robert Antonucci with the good news, and music by additional faculty. That's pretty cool, of course, when I was in school, email was a big deal.I can see the excited high school seniors running to their parents now:"Hey, I got in to college!""Great! Did a letter arrive in the mail?""No, my iPod told me!""?"
Hingham, MA Apple Store opens Saturday
Attention, New England Yankees. This Saturday, February 18th at 9:00 AM, Apple will open its newest retail location, Apple Store Derby Street. This store is located at 94 Derby Street Shoppes, Suite #275, next to Burton’s and The Children’s Place. You can find complete travel directions here. As usual, the first 1000 visitors will be rewarded with commemorative t-shirts. Visitors can also enter to win the “Grand Opening Sweepstakes,” which will award one winner with an iMac, an iPod nano, a Canon digital camera, a Sony Handycam CCD-TRV138, and an HP inkjet printer.If you're going to attend the opening at Derby Street, please send us links to your photos and reports! Good luck and have fun.
