One of the best things about face-to-face conferences is the chance for a speaker or an attendee to elaborate on what was said. In this issue, we have several stories from conferences earlier in the year that are as relevant as ever; particularly with the arrival of ski and snowboard season.
A Cyber Security Resource from Uncle Sam – #TIS22
ISPs could use all the help they can muster in the war against cyber criminals, cyber terrorists, and other bad actors. Brian Kettman, CTO of MTCO/digiMAX elaborates on the comments he made at one of the TIS22 Member breakfasts. He recommends a few no-cost tools that he uses to help protect the digiMAX fiber network.
Broadband Bogged Down by a Beetle
How do you move a beetle without harming it? According to Eric Rajchel of VantagePoint, a piece of raw chicken does the trick. In the above video, Rajchel, an engineer at this well-known broadband engineering firm, describes one of the more subtle challenges he and his clients face as they deploy broadband in rural areas.
From Broadband to Economic Development to Philanthropy & Beekeeping
What a pleasant surprise to see retired ACA Connects Chairman, Bob Gessner at the 2022 Independent Show. It was Matt Polka’s retirement that spurred Gessner to make the trip to Orlando. At TIS22 Gessner had some moving words about Matt and his 25 years as ACA Connects’ leader.
The Networked Water Heater
With an increasing reliance on renewable energy sources, stabilization of the grid becomes increasingly important. That is, a sunny, windy day has the potential to produce excess electricity that will not be there come evening. Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is solving that problem with the help of its customers, their respective water heaters, and some clever technology that has effectively created a distributed battery.
A Dam Alternative on a House-by-House Basis – #CES2022
Along the theme of decentralized utilities, such as what MEC is doing, could decentralized water treatment be a future offering for service providers? It could be if the technology from Hydraloop becomes mainstream. Hydraloop makes a compelling case for the local reuse of water.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- Despite what critics were suggesting several weeks ago, Twitter is still alive.
- For an unfiltered view of government, there is still C–SPAN as memorialized in this Tweet with C-SPAN co-presidents Swain and Kennedy.
- An interesting Twitter dicussion started by NTCA’s Mike Romano on the limitations of broadband mapping in regards to Fixed Wireless Access.
- “The Map Becomes the Territory” – no, this isn’t about broadband maps. This AI-generated, short video, narrated by an AI version of Marshall “Medium is the Message (PDF)” McLuhan, points to a metaverse world where, sidewalks, streets, and highways are no longer needed because no one leaves their respective domiciles. Yikes!
The Korner – Monster Mike – Helping the Competition Is a Win-Win – #TIS22
A leg amputation would end the career of most professional sports athletes. In the case of Monster Mike Schultz, his snowmobile crash and resulting recovery was a springboard to a new career, a different sport, and a broadening of his horizon. In this interview, filmed at TIS22, Schultz elaborates on the prosthetic sports leg he developed that has allowed him to continue his athletic endeavors and help his competitors.
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