Help Somerville Get on Google's High Speed Network

Just got the following email from City of Somerville. If you live in Somerville, MA read the below and help get us on Google's high speed network:

HELP SOMERVILLE WIN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PILOT GOOGLE’S HIGH-SPEED NETWORK! The City of Somerville is seeking the opportunity to be included as a trial area for Google’s ultra-high speed network and we need your help! The network, said by Google to "deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today," will be offered at a competitive price to a small number of trial locations across the country. Along with the City submitting a Request For Information (RFI), Google is asking local residents to express their interest in a trial in their community. Your support will strengthen Somerville’s case to be included in the pilot. Please help make a case for Somerville by submitting a nomination online here: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options

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On Google Buzz

Google Buzz has been out for several weeks now but only recently did I have the time to check it out.

My initial opinion is that right now (for me) it is a mostly redundant system that doesn't provide much value. Most of what I see on Buzz are just Twitter and Reader updates. The problem is that you can only see a small subset of what you see on Twitter and Reader (updates from Buzz users). That means you still need to use a full Twitter client and Reader which makes most of the content on Buzz just duplicates.

A big improvement would be to make Buzz a full Twitter and RSS clients so that I can view everything from just it. Until that can be supported I'd like to see an option in Buzz that lets me disable certain types of data (Twitter updates for example) so I don't have to see it twice.

One very nice benefit though is that non-twitter and non-reader users on GMail are now "joining the conversation" and seeing your updates which is very cool.

Going to Work at Kayak.com

I have really been enjoying my time off the past several weeks. I've been reading some good books, watching some good TV, spending quality time with my girlfriend, and trying to improve my overall health (running and eating much better). But I'm ready to return to real life now and ready to begin earning a paycheck again! I'm happy to let everyone know that I have officially accepted an offer to join Kayak.com, the best travel search site out there, and I start this Monday. Initially I will be with their mobile team working on their iPhone products. Very excited.

If you are like me then you have probably never heard of Kayak.com before. I'm told that brand awareness is their number one challenge right now and improving it is their top priority for the year. If you haven't heard of them yet you should soon. The good news is that they are already doing extremely well and the people who know them love them. Before booking your next flight or hotel room, check them out.

When I began my job search I had one specific kind of company in mind and kayak.com definitely doesn't fit the model I was looking for. After meeting with a number of companies and talking to a few mentors I decided to broaden the type of company I was willing to consider. I'm really glad I did that. If you are currently looking I urge you to do the same thing. There are lots of different companies out there. They will all offer different benefits and a unique experience. Why limit your opportunities? Talk to everyone. You might get surprised and find something you were not looking for.

Thank you to everyone who helped me out over the past several weeks. I really appreciate the emails, advice, job forwards, and references. Thank you so much.

Time to go write some software and pay some taxes.