Google Fiber gives wireless gigabit plan a boost with Webpass ISP buyout
It looks like Google is serious about this wireless gigabit internet thing. While they continue to expand the wired version of Google Fiber – there are reportedly 18 more cities on their expansion list – it’s Google’s buyout of wireless internet provider Webpass that has tech insiders’ attention. Webpass operates in the Silicon Valley corridor and provides both wired and wireless internet access for about $60 a month.
In April, a Google Fiber exec said the company was looking into providing wireless Fiber service where it would be too expensive to run a physical line to homes. Looks like they just snapped up their first major player in that effort.
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If you were watching C-SPAN yesterday, you may have witnessed a bit of tech and political history as Democrats staged a sit-in protest on the House floor over gun control measures.
As the sit-in wore on, Republican leaders ordered the House into recess – and since the House controls C-SPAN camera activity, they ordered the cameras to be shut off, even though speeches and protests continued on the floor. Those are the rules. Or, at least, those were the rules. But yesterday, some tech-savvy politicians got out their cell phones and began live-streaming the events back to C-SPAN using live video and Periscope video apps.
Suddenly, C-SPAN was back on the air live, and in a way not possible in years before. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan called the tech workaround “a publicity stunt” but C-SPAN spokesman Howard Mortmann told Politico that the livestream rebellion was “a milestone event.” Politicians always seem to be a bit behind when it comes to new technology, but now that the power of live video streaming has been ably demonstrated, expect to see a lot more of it.
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We hope you checked out our coverage of the top cars of 2016 with Marshawn Lynch, but one car we missed out on driving was this wee electric roadster, which we’re pretty sure Mr. Lynch would struggle to slip into. Not a struggle? Getting it to accelerate from zero to 60 miles an hour in just a smidge over 1.5 seconds. Oh yeah, that’s a record all right, and it crushes the likes of the Henessy Venom GT, Bugatti Veyron and all those other multi-million dollar cars.
So who built this tiny speed machine? Some big car company’s R&D team? Elon Musks oldest son? Nope – it was 30 students with the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich. And best of all, they made this very entertaining video about how they did it, so check it all out at this link.
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