This week’s top three jobs on CrunchBoard are:Ruby on Rails developer with an interest in sportNew Media CoordinatorProgrammer / ninja for groundbreaking interactive restaurantThe CrunchBoard job board gives you access to millions of technology and business savvy readers of TechCrunch, MobileCrunch, CrunchGear and other top technology blogs. CrunchBoard is permanently linked from these sites.Join other […]

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Almost five years ago, we wrote about a project in Burlington, Vermont to bring fiber optics to residents there. The idea was that, rather than a traditional “municipally-owned” network, this would actually be owned by the residents themselves. The article focused on the work of economist Alan McAdams, who (it needs to be admitted) was the guy who not only sent me down the path of better understanding the economics of information over a dozen years ago, but also convinced me to start Techdirt in the first place. McAdams has been pushing for the idea that if the end users actually owned the network itself, you would end up with much greater broadband, in part because you might still end up with a single fiber network, but there would be significant competition of service providers on that network. And, indeed, it appears that’s where the Burlington fiber project has gone. A more recent case study on the project suggests that, with a slow and deliberate pace, thousands of residents in Burlington now have access to the fiber network, and can choose their own ISP, if they want.

Tim Lee has now written about another example as well, where there’s an effort underway in Ottawa (which is only about 170 miles from Burlington), to string up 400 homes with fiber, but where the individual home owners will pay for and own the “last mile” connection to their homes. This is definitely a test on a small scale, but it’s a similar situation to what McAdams has been pushing for all along. Let the customer own the connection itself, and then get to choose the service provider. In the Ottawa case, once again, service providers would no longer have to worry about wiring up your home (the most expensive part), but just need to offer service at various peering points, and each individual could choose who to get service from.

In this manner, you still get real competition, which is sorely lacking in the telco arena, and you get the benefits of higher speed networks. It’s not as crazy as it might sound, either. As Lee points out, the telephone company used to own not just the wiring in your house, but the actual telephone as well. Over the years, that’s been pushed back. Now you own your own phone — and the wiring inside your house. So is it so crazy to think that you should own the wires outside of your house out to the main network as well? There are still plenty of practical issues that need to be resolved — and the initial economics may be a bit daunting for many (the idea of paying, say, $3,000, to own your own fiber drop may freak some people out). But, it’s experiments like these that are a real step in the right direction towards adding real competition, rather than the faux duopoly we all deal with today.

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Delicious today finally unveiled their long awaited “2.0″ rehaul — the one they’ve been talking about for a year — at delicious.com. The new version features a faster interface, better search, and an overall new design, which should make Delicious users pretty giddy, although I’m not sure that’s the case seeing how long they had to wait for it.

Among other things, the new design keeps Delicious’ traditional simple and barebones look, although it does implement new elements such as dropdowns and tabs. Like the old one, it still seems a breeze to …

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Nous assistons depuis quelque temps à l’aparition de mondes virtuels disponibles directement depuis nos navigateurs. Nous avons vu Vivaty, puis Lively de Google et plus récemment WebFlock. Et d’autres startups travaillent sur de nouveaux projets. Tous ces produits ne sont pas aussi immersifs que SecondLife qui requiert lui le téléchargement d’un logiciel mais est-ce que […]

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La Chine a levé vendredi la censure sur plusieurs sites internet comme celui d’Amnesty International, mais continue d’en bloquer beaucoup d’autres, au principal centre de presse des Jeux olympiques de Pékin.

Source : Lesoir.be (s’abonner)

Explorer : Internet

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Les graphes embarquables des actions de sociétés ne sont pas nouveaux de même que des tableaux interactifs qui vous présentent des informations sur l’évolution des prix au fur et a mesure que vous déplacez votre souris. Yahoo Finance et Google, offrent régulièrement ce type de graphes sur leurs sites. Mais personne n’avait […]

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In their own words

“There are people out there, on the same site as you. Firefly lets you see them and chat with them”

Why it might be a killer

This has the possibility to be huge. Sharing with people who are on the same site as you opens up a whole new world within the ever growing social networking category.

Some questions

Will the code slow down the page? How man people chatting can it handle?

What it does

Wouldn’t you like to know what other people who are viewing the same page as you think of it? This very interesting concept is implemented by the folks over at Firef.ly. Through the site, you will be able to find the code, which once embedded on your website, will allow people who are surfing through it to chat amongst themselves in real time. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, especially with bloggers. Thanks to this great app, long gone are the days where you had to comment on a blog. Just place the code into your blog’s programming and all those who surf through it will be able to chat amongst themselves. This will allow you to quickly know what people think of your posts and your blog as a whole. Managing the chat client is easy. Once you embed the code, a bar will appear in the lower right hand portion of your site. With it, you’ll be able to see how many people are on the site at any one time and how many of them are actually chatting.

Source: Killerstartups.com

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The MV Agusta F4CC’s $120,000 price tag is comparable to that of exotic cars. The F4CC 1,078cc produces 200 horsepower at 12,200 rpm and it can cruise as fast as 195 MPH. Exhaust is routed through titanium racing exhaust system. All of these is housed within stunning carbon fiber bodywork clad with sharp details like […]

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Sometime in next day or so, Tapulous will announce that it has accumulated 1 million users for its free iPhone game, Tap Tap Revenge. That’s an accomplishment, but what’s really interesting about the company is its overall strategy, since Tapulous is not, ultimately, a games company. I met recently with Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem and COO Andrew Lacy and to learn more.

The company is a social networking play. As Decrem said with glee as he demo’d the two-player version of Tap Tap Revenge with me (when you play, you and your opponent take up position on either end of an iPhone), the game is highly social. “Look how close we are,” he said. If I was a 14-year old boy playing with a girl I liked, this game would be, “the best chance to kiss her.”

Spin the Bottle for the iPhone generation.

The social underpinnings of the company go much deeper than that, fortunately. Tapulous is building a suite of different apps that connect to each other at a social level. Tap Tap Revenge, for example, will eventually link in to Twinkle, Tapulous’ nanoblog service and Twitter client. You’ll be able to send your high scores out as Twitter posts, or within Tap Tap, see the high scores of your Twitter pals.

The goal underpinning all the Tapulous apps (these two, plus new ones I’ll talk about in a minute) is to provide immediate value to the first users, while at the same time offering network effect benefits as people pile on.

Tapulous has managed that with its current apps: Tap Tap Revenge is a fun music game for one or two players, and Twinkle didn’t launch until the Twitter network was already live. In fact, the early version of Twinkle, for Jailbroken first-gen iPhones, was simply a Twitter client. However, the apps are both designed to ultimately support Tapulous’ own network; what’s especially clever is that Tapulous has, with Twinkle, figured out a way to get Twitter users to establish yet another new network login so they can use the app’s unique features: location reporting and easy picture uploading.

In addition to building out its own network, Tapulous is trying to leverage the network that users have already in their phones. Currently, while Apple’s apps can send data to each other, cross-app communication between third-party apps on the iPhone is very limited. Tapulous’ apps talk to each other by sending all their info through the Tapulous central servers. It looks like each one of Tapulous’ apps will have some clever way to leverage your phone’s contacts. For example, in FriendBook– the upcoming FriendBook app that lets you easily send your contact info to another iPhone user by shaking your phone - it might tell you which of your contacts are also Tapulous members and iPhone users, or it might show you which of your contacts are nearby.

Twinkle has its own nanoblog network that shadows Twitter.

Other upcoming apps include a restaurant reviews site (this will compete with Yelp) and a photo sharing service. Of course, both will leverage the Tapulous network of users as well as other Tapulous apps users have on their phones.

The company is flexible about monetization strategies. For Twinkle it will be layering in advertising at some point. For Tap Tap Revenge, there will be a premium version. The company is also looking at deals with musicians who might want distribution to the large Tap Tap audience, and it may sell those tracks to users. Decrem pointed out to me that, unlike on the Web (and on Facebook), on mobile platforms users are accustomed to paying for content - for SMS messages, ringtones, games, etc.

Tapulous is not strictly an iPhone shop, although for now that’s its platform. The company is learning about this new market but expects to develop apps on other platforms as they get traction.

I like the way Tapulous is steadily building a collection of standalone apps that integrate at the user base level. It’s smart. It’s also an investible proposition; I was a bit surprised to hear David Hornick of August Capital say on a recent TechCrunch panel that iPhone development shops aren’t good venture capital candidates since the iPhone market is so small. He’s right that the iPhone market is small, but the overall mobile market is huge, and the proportion of phones in the world that can run apps is going up, and rapidly.

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In their own words

“Unlike most healthcare web sites, afraidtoask.com offers in-depth information and graphic photographs that will give you a better understanding of highly personal health issues.”

Why it might be a killer

The information on the site is presented in a way that allows everyone to understand it. This should be enough to keep people coming back for more medical knowledge.

Some questions

Why would people choose this site over the many other similar ones that already exist?

What it does

Do you have a medical question that needs answers? Is the old “I’m asking you to help out a friend” routine not working out anymore? If that is your case, then you should check out Afraidtoask.com right away. This site has everything you want to know about medicine and were to afraid to ask. Whether you want to know about Abortion or Basal Cell Cancer, you will be able to find out about that and more on the site. There are more than 90 health topics covered by the site, so you are sure to find the one that you want to know about. The information on the site should by no means replace that which you can get from a doctor, but it is very complete and should allow you to visit your doctor with some background information on whatever is ailing you. The most shocking feature the site has are the images. These often graphic pictures will allow you to know exactly what each disease looks like. Some of the pictures are animated, allowing you to see the natural progression of the disease or infection.

Source: Killerstartups.com

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In their own words

“Dog Park USA is committed to the promotion of happy and health canine friends by advancing the awareness of responsibly maintained public dog play areas.”

Why it might be a killer

As people travel with their pets more often, they’ll need to find dog parks to take their dogs to. This site will provide them will everything they need for when that time comes.

Some questions

Can’t people just Google dog parks? Is the service as necessary as they make it out to be?

What it does

Finding a place for your dog to prance around with others of its kind doesn’t have to be a problem anymore, thanks to Dogparkusa.com. Through the site, you will be able to find dog parks throughout the United States. The parks are labelled on a map, in an interface reminiscent of Google Maps. There are dog park reviews on the site. These comprehensive studies of what some of the best dog parks have to offer are a great and entertaining way for pet owners around the county to find out more about the top spots for them to walk their dogs at. The site offers more than a dog park guide. It also has articles that deal with anything from dog park etiquette to how to avoid a dog fight. These other features turn the site into a great resource for dog owners from around the country to learn more about how they can take their beloved pets out and have a great time at it.

Source: Killerstartups.com

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In their own words

“Diabetic Days is a new free website that allows anyone, anywhere to easily keep a track of their Diabetic life.”

Why it might be a killer

This site will always be useful to those who have to deal with diabetes. It is sure to keep growing, as more people are diagnosed with this common yet under-diagnosed disease.

Some questions

Shouldn’t there be more information for people that want to know more about diabetes? Catering only to those who have diabetes limits the number of people that will be interested on the site.

What it does

Diabeticdays.com is a website that allows people who live with diabetes to organize their lifestyle according to their needs. On the site, you will be able to set reminders so you don’t forget to stick to your strict diet. For someone who has just been diagnosed with diabetes, it can be hard to find a diet to suit their new eating limitations. Luckily, the site offers a wide variety of links to websites that offer varied diet ideas for diabetics. If you want to inform yourself about the many different treatment options that are available for people suffering from diabetes, you will be able to find out more on the site. You can calculate your blood insulin averages on the site too. This is a great tool, which will allow you to keep up with how your blood sugar level is evolving. Over all, the site is sure to prove itself useful to anyone who wants to do everything possible to make living with diabetes a lot easier.

Source: Killerstartups.com

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Arn / MacRumors:
Nullriver Introduces 3G/EDGE Tethering App for iPhone [Updatedx2]  —  Nullriver, Inc. has released NetShare onto the iTunes App Store this evening (via iPhone Alley).  The $9.99 application promises to allow you to share your iPhone’s network connection with your computer.

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Digital Cameras, Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Frightening though it may be, the fall semester is just around the corner. You know what that means? You’ll actually have to get up at — wait for it — an appointed time. Carissa, being the proactive student she is, posed this question:

“Going to school in the fall, I’m looking for the ideal alarm clock to beat the late nights and what not and noticed a few digital photo frames / alarm clocks. I want a decent alarm clock that has battery backup and good resolution on the screen for viewing photos. An auxiliary audio jack would be a major plus. Which one do you guys recommend that falls under the 200 dollar mark? Thanks a million!”

Look at that — you all even received a thank you in advance! For those who’ve mastered the art of waking up on time and pretending to be a real live adult, which alarm clock / digiframe hybrid have you found to be supreme? Oh, and you know that question you’ve been hitting the snooze on? Yeah, send it on over to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Woah there horsey!  Don’t think you can go out and break your contract today.  Much like any legal struggle, this is simply a step forward in the on going battle between cell phone service providers and customers.  The good news is that it’s a big step.  A California judge rulled that it’s illegal for Sprint […]

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