Celebration Life

Check out these YouTube videos about our town for the Google folks.

http://www.youtube.com/user/townofcelebration

Bandwidth, as it applies to computer networking, is an enabling resource. That is, as bandwidth grows, so do the possible applications of that bandwidth. In the very early dial-up days, when modems ran at 300 baud, you would literally watch characters slowly paint across the screen; the idea of downloading a photograph or watching a movie over a phone line was completely foreign. Plus, there were very few people to share information with. Only a handful of people had computers compared to today, and even fewer had the hardware and expertise to connect to others over a network.

What’s changed since the early days is that bandwidth has grown, and access to the Internet has become more widespread and varied. That means there are more people to share with, and more ways to share your content with them. Email, Bittorrent, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, AIM & MSN, YouTube, Flickr… with ubiquitous and fast network access, people are empowered to connect with others on a level previously inconceivable.

Which brings us to the point of this entry.

From the Google Fiber for Communities web page:

Google is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We’ll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.

From now until March 26th, we’re asking interested municipalities to provide us with information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which we’ll use to determine where to build our network.

What this means is, Google is proposing to build a VERY FAST network somewhere in the U.S. They will be investing a lot of money (even for Google) to build this network. And we feel that Celebration’s residents, schools, hospital, and businesses, as well as Google itself, could greatly benefit from our community being chosen.

If you agree, and would like to help Celebration be chosen as one of the trial sites, you can help! You don’t have to live here, you just need a few free minutes and the desire to push this forward.

GOOGLE FORM INSTRUCTIONS
(courtesy keithbarrett.com)

1. You first need to have a google email account. If you don’t have one you can create one then discard and never use it — it’s just needed for the form. To create this account, go to http://mail.google.com/mail/signup and fill in the information.

2. Make sure you’re signed into your gmail account.

3. Go to http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options and select “Nominate your community”

4. Now you can enter your information and answer the questions:

Your name: (enter your name)

Your organization or community group: Celebration Resident Owner Association

If you are responding on behalf of an organization or community group, please describe it: Residents and businesses of Celebration Florida

City: Celebration

State: FL

Why should Google build a fiber to the home network where you live? I’m not a resident, but I’m submitting in support of the residents and town of Celebration FL because … (follow with why YOU believe Celebration should win this contract and/or why it would be beneficial to Google. Note you are limited to only 400 characters total here)

Web link to supporting material: If you have any videos or blog entries in support of this, enter the URL here

The next several questions are geared toward residents, You’ve already indicated you’re not a resident so just fill them out as follows…

What kind of Internet services are available where you live? Check DSL and Cable

What kind of Internet service do you primarily use at home? Cable Modem

What is the advertised speed of your home Internet service? ‘Don’t Know’

What is your actual download speed during the evening? ‘Don’t Know’

What is your actual upload speed during the evening? ‘Don’t Know’

How much does your Internet service cost per month? $40 – $60

Is your Internet service ‘bundled’ with other services like TV and phone? Yes

How many times in the last month did your high-­‐speed Internet service not work correctly, slow down, or frustrate you? Never, it’s great (or if you actually have Comcast cable broadband then enter in your own personal satisfaction with their service)

Describe the quality of your home Internet service customer support: N/A

What would you like to see improved about your current service? Check all 4 boxes

Once you have filled out the form hit the gray “Send nomination” button.

The next community-wide Porch and Yard Sale is coming up next Saturday, March 6, from 8am to 3pm. We were surprised by how many people (both buyers and sellers) participated in the last one. Now that we have a house and have updated our furniture, this should be a timely opportunity to unload some of our crap treasure.

According to a posting on the internal web forum, Shannon’s has negotiated to acquire the space currently occupied by HQ For Men (the haircut place next door). Grats to Ken and Susan. We love Shannon’s and look forward to additional indoor eating space!

Turned 36 today. We’re still settling in to our new East Village house, so much of my birthday consisted of unpacking boxes and doing laundry, but I’m OK with that, as we now live in our dream house.

We were able to step away for an hour or so — sans baby — to grab some sushi at Seito, which was a nice break.

Tomorrow? More unpacking, perhaps a trip to Lowe’s, and a visit to the Farmers Market.

Guess who went from Celebration renter to Celebration owner yesterday morning?

Yep, we’ve moved! It was about the shortest move you can make — across a park, past some condos, and 4 houses — and yet, that didn’t make it all that much simpler. It seems whether you’re loading a dresser onto a truck to drive it 1 mile or to drive it 50, it ends up weighing about the same.

We’ve been blessed to find a house here in Celebration that we can afford AND meets our needs. Believe me, it wasn’t easy. We made our offer in late July, and it finally closed on Feb 8. We were lucky in that the previous owners treated the house with the care it deserves, so it was move-in ready. We were literally moving in our stuff within an hour of closing, no painting or deep-cleaning necessary.

Now begins the process of turning this house into a home. There are many boxes that stand in the way.

Hard to imagine you’re coming here for this kind of news, but I’ll pass it along anyway. Celebration is currently under a “boil water” alert due to a water main burst in Kissimmee.

For more information, visit the website of the company we buy water from.

I haven’t been there yet, but there’s an article in today’s Orlando Sentinel about Jean Pierre Bistro & Bakery. Looks tasty!

The tree is missing, but don’t be sore.
The ice is gone, and Bloom is open once more.
Santa’s workshop has vanished, and the soap blowers are put into store.
Celebration downtown is once again returned to the residents… at least until July 4.

And while the tourists are fleet of feet,
we’re just happy there’s parking on Market Street.

I’m no poet.
In case you didn’t know it.

So long Christmas decorations, see you next Thanksgiving.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Celebration residents and visitors!

Things to look forward to in the New Year, in no particular order (‘cept the first one):

• We will move into a house. We’ve been patiently waiting out the purchase of a home via short sale. It’s been a long road, one that started mid-July. I think the end may be in sight, but that may just be an illusion brought on by extreme temperature changes.
• House projects. Related to the above, my list of house projects is officially empty. My expectation is that moving into a 7 year old house vs the 37 year old one we moved out of will translate into a shorter house project list, but maybe that’s hilariously naive?
• Grill! Also related to moving into a house will be bringing the grill out of storage. Not being able to grill despite so many fantastic grilling days here in Florida has been like living in a straightjacket.
• New businesses. The arcade next to Kilwin’s is shuttering its doors, I believe at the end of January. There’s also another spot still available on Market Street where the Village Merc used to be. I’ll be interested to see what kinds of businesses choose to open their doors this year; I’ll be sure to write about them here when they do. I’d love to see a small corner market type store here in Celebration… you know, things like milk, eggs, chips, beers, some staple produce. That, coupled with the produce stand at the Sunday market, would mean we only have to leave the bubble for meat!
• Geocaching. Did you know there are several geocaches stashed away around Celebration? If you don’t know what geocaching is, you should check out geocaching.com. You’ll need a handheld GPS and a sense of adventure. You might even be able to get by with an iPhone 3G or 3GS and the right GPS app. It’s a great family-friendly excuse to get outside for a few hours to see parts of the world you may not otherwise have seen… and get a little exercise, to boot. Our new GPS arrives Wednesday so we can find & log the caches we haven’t found yet.
• Epcot After 4. Looking forward to getting the maximum return on our brand spanking new Epcot After 4 annual passes!
• Meeting neighbors and making friends. Once our five month old is a little older, we’d like to be a bit more social again. “How so?”, one might ask. Good question.
• Tennis! I’ve been trying to take tennis lessons and get to the point where the other person I’m playing with won’t want to slice me with a rusty razor blade after 10 minutes. I’ve had some trouble maintaining a consistent training schedule with my coach but expect to work something out in the next few weeks. If you’re an OK tennis player (or a good tennis player with plenty of patience) and live in Celebration, drop me a note at blogmail at celebrationblog.com.
• GREAT food. Bangers & Mash at Shannon’s. Stackers and Clam Chowder at the Town Tavern (and I’ve been neglecting my beer checklist). Pad Thai (4 star hot) at Thai Thani. That mozzarella/basil/balsamic flatbread thing at Imperium. Lunchtime California Combination at Seito Sushi. Tapas and Cuban bread like I remember from Tampa at Columbia Celebration. And I hope to frequent Cafe D’Antonio, Angelinas, and Jean Pierre’s Bistro more often as we find babysitters. Celebration is truly a place for great food.

What am I missing? What else do Celebration residents have to look forward to in 2010 and beyond?