Google, won’t you be my neighbor?

Oct. 23, 2010, 11:40 p.m.

I always get excited when I read Stanford’s name in my non-school related blogroll, and usually, the reference to some new research or involvement in social justice campaign makes me do a little arm-pump of pride. This time, though I felt a little empathetic jealousy, when I read about Google’s plans to install fancy high-speed Internet in the “residential subdivision” of campus, better known to students as the faculty ghetto, surrounding the Upper Row.

I’ll be the first to admit that I know very little about the technology behind the Internet, but it looks like this project mostly involves the installation of free, very fast Internet. Google has a few ideas about what people could do with such high-speed Internet, including something called “next generation apps,” which is not apps for babies, as it turns out, but sounds interesting nevertheless. The whole project sounds interesting; I’m glad that our community seems to have beaten out Topeka in being chosen as the test city, especially given Topeka’s antics of renaming itself as Google.

Ultimately, though, inspection of the map of the zoned area was a little funny for me. My home of three years lies mere feet from the boundary—f looks like it’s still ResComp for those students.



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