Rodent Regatta

All the talk of politics and web design has prevented mention of three technical matters of some importance:

• Wi-Fi Disruptions – I assumed it was something in my work area, but now I learn that Wired is running a story about unexplained interruptions of wi-fi signals that actually appear to be active. Lots of fingers are pointing toward Microsoft, but, naturally, they blame other things.
• Clearwire – Craig McCaw is getting a lot of press about an ambitious new venture. For the past eighteen months or so, I’ve wanted to live in a city or town underneath a wi-fi cloud. The fact is that I’d like to see the entire nation under such a cloud, but without government subsidies. I don’t want to pay more in taxes to fund the cloud! Clearwire is apparently aiming for solid wi-fi/WiMax coverage across the country.
• A $499 Color Laser Printer – I’m old enough to remember the introduction of the very first laser printers for personal computers. Apple and HP led the way. This week, HP announced a broad new initiative promoting digital color imaging. One piece of this announcement is a $499 printer called the Color LaserJet 2550.