Nassau County has the fastest internet in the United States and if you lived on Long Island you already knew that.  Newsday is now confirming it at www.newsday.com/business/data-company-nassau-fastest-in-online-speed.

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Psst…. Newsday is owned by “CABLEVISION“! ;)

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But what’s coming next?

Cablevision now boasts the fastest internet in the country and, as you probably already know, is attempting to blanket Long Island in WiFi. (I have been attempting to locate viable WiFi hotspots throughout Nassau County to use this summer.) The combination of having the fastest internet and the largest WiFi network in the country is a testament to the Dolan Families ambition to make money. The first company to blanket Long Island in free Wifi is going to corner the market in internet access. This free WiFi is largely being ignored (unless you take a train).

As more and more people step up to smart phones, current cell providers capacity will be severely strained. AT&T is already struggling with capacity issues due largely to the iPhone. You really can’t get the full benefit of your iPhone or other WiFi enabled smartphone unless you can access a fast WiFi network. That network is being offered by Cablevision and no one else. If you are a Verizon customer you are tethered to their 3G network, nowhere near as fast as the Optimum WiFi network. Can you see the future?

As Cablevision starts to monopolize the market in internet access and starts raking in the money what will they do next?

In the past they have bought Newsday and MSG which includes the NY Knicks and Rangers. These were once proud franchises that were run into the ground so I hope the Dolan Family sticks to the Cable business. Cablevision could also start charging cell phone companies for access to their wireless network which would reduce their overloaded networks but could drive up cell phone bills even further. Can you see a future where cell carriers are charged for the amount of bandwidth their customers use? Cable bills go up? Cell phone bills go up?

Cablevision? Good or Bad for Long Island?

Only the future will tell. Cablevision is building a network with obvious value but what will it cost us who live on Long Island? Will anyone be able to compete with Cable to keep prices low? In order to compete with Cable you will need a viable WiFi network on the same level as Cablevision. I think Cable has too much of a headstart in the WiFi department and is developing a monopoly. That can’t be good.

This is the iPhone app I’m playing with this Sunday morning. ;)

Visible Vote is the first and only application that allows you to cast a virtual vote on the same measures that your representatives vote on and then informs them of your position. Visible Vote is an unbiased and non-partisan service that aims to bring transparency to our representative form of government. Discover the most technologically effective way to advise, communicate and track your legislators.

via Get Visible Vote for Facebook, Blackberry, iPhone, Google Android or Windows!.

Once you fill out the very brief application, the app now knows where you live and pulls up a snapshot of your senators and congressperson. I can now tell each one of my senators and congressperson where I stand on issues such as Health Care, the Jobs Bill, the Stimulus Package, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and so many more….

The app gives you a summary, in real time, of each person’s job approval rating. Obama’s is at 29%. Hmmm… got some work to do.

This just might be the app that puts government back in the hands of the people and it’s not just for the iPhone. You’ll find it for the Blackberry and the Droid as well as somewhere on facebook, although I don’t know where. It’s been out for a good 9 months but with so many important issues it’s time to give the app another little push! Get yours and be like me, get tough with your elected officials!

So this morning I’m starting my letter to Senator Schumer like this:

Dear Senator Schumer,

Are you still banned from USAirways? Could you send me some frequent flier miles that you can no longer use, and, Oh Yeah, I almost forgot, vote for the F@#$ING PUBLIC OPTION! And stay off twitter! ______________________________________________________________________

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Sincerely,
David Daniels

This is an obvious choice for a mashup– two of the greatest entertainers writing songs about their favorite city. And as a big Jay Z fan and Billy Joel fan I just had to share this:

Credit goes to Loveandlogicrock’s youtube channel. They’ve got some great stuff going on. Great Start to the Weekend! :)

WiFi Hunting

Today I spent some time, early this morning, doing some WiFi hunting in the Uniondale, long Island area. I updated my spreadsheet with the results. I was a bit disappointed in what I found.

I got up really early and did my usual routine by headed to the local Starbucks in Uniondale located on Hempstead Trnpk. The day started out fine as the local Starbucks obviously has AT&T access and is close enough to an Optimum WiFi hotspot to use either/or network. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.

As I was planning my day I noticed the Marriott Hotel across the street. Wondering if this would be another viable mobile office, I finished my coffee and headed on over. It’s the long Island Marriott directly next to the Nassau Coliseum. I went in and sat down in their lobby area, pulled out the laptop and attempted to get some work done. I found there were about 8 wireless access points, 6 were secured, 2 were unsecured, and those 2 needed passwords. In effect there was no access for a person like me.

Reckson Plaza Atrium

I then left and went across the street to Reckson Plaza. I was wondering if there was open internet access here to get some work done. I found that Reckson Plaza has a really nice atrium with an area where you could sit down. There were about a dozen tables with chairs located in this area and on the second floor there were 3 locations with sofa’s and love-seat’s that a person could sit down and work. I attempted to connect to a network from the atrium area. I found 12 access points, none were open to the public. Mind you, if you walk out to Hempstead Turnpike the Optimum WiFi signal comes in at full strength so I was disappointed that you couldn’t work here either.

As a matter of fact, if you drive up and down Hempstead Turnpike in this area the Optimum WiFi network can be accessed, at least that’s what my iPhone told me. So my next task will be to write a letter to both the Marriott in Uniondale and to Reckson Plaza, informing them that in this economy, they should offer access to one of the many networks they already have installed. There are many people out of work and this might just help them out. As for bloggers like myself, I usually spend money wherever I end up working. Usually on coffee and snacks. So could you open up some networks around here? With warm weather coming, job seekers should not be couped up in the house. Ya think?

The Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.

Here is a topic I explore quite frequently here on my blog, the differences between Generations X, Y and the Millennial’s. Looks like the Pew Research Center is also doing an in depth study on the same subject. Very interesting read I hope you enjoy. The full article is here:

Overview

Generations, like people, have personalities, and Millennials — the American teens and twenty-somethings who are making the passage into adulthood at the start of a new millennium — have begun to forge theirs: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change.

They are more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults. They’re less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history.

Their entry into careers and first jobs has been badly set back by the Great Recession, but they are more upbeat than their elders about their own economic futures as well as about the overall state of the nation. (Read the full article here)

This is part of a Pew Research Center series of reports exploring the behaviors, values and opinions of the teens and twenty-somethings that make up the Millennial Generation.

Event: Video
Quiz: How Millennial Are You?