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 Spending half your days with the message "PPP Up" on your screen can have its advantages...for one, you get to know a thing or two about what's going on on the local and national internet. For another, you can respond very rapidly to e-mails...here's a few things. Choice Is Good So More Choice Is Better, Right?? Yet another ISP will dive into the already crowded northwestern Michigan internet pool. Voyager Information Systems Inc. of Michigan announced this week that, (among other things), it will be intalling an number of new "mini-pops" in northern Michigan this winter. They're bringing up a T-1 plus a little more to handle the task. In addition to a new player, the regional market has seen ISPs opening new areas. Freeway came down to Traverse City recently and NetOne Communications went up to Freeway's traditional baliwick of Petoskey-Harbor Springs. To keep track of the latest information on regional service providers, check out the Northern Michigan ISPage. Twin T's Traverse Communications Inc. of Traverse doubled their bandwidth this week with the installation of a second T-1 . TCC's pushing the fact that their "T" is just two hops to the Chicago hub and feel confident they'll be the fastest connection around. Internet Explorer® Everyone seems to want a piece of Microsoft lately. The latest to take on Redmond is Illinois ISP Synet Inc., who has been using the name "Internet Explorer" for 2 years and has trademarked it with the state of Illinois. Michigan Montage This Wednesday at Wiltse's Brewpub in Oscoda, Voyager Information Systems made the official announcement of a new Michigan specific mega-site, Michigan Montage. In the words of Montage product manager Shawn Denton, "We're hoping that Montage will become the Yahoo! of Michigan." They certainly have a running start, at the very least. Montage has licensed Live Chat and 3 search engines. One will search only the Montage site, one the state of Michigan, and one the internet at large. They have also brought in some heavy hitters in the state's travel industry including their flagship resort site, the Grand Hotel. Montage features information on lodging, recreation, breweries, communities and intends to provide more. How much more? In the words of Mr. Denton: "If it has to do with Michigan, we're going to have it on Montage." NetDay96.Michigan NetDay96 is a grass-roots volunteer effort to wire schools so they can network their computers and connect them to the Internet whose goal is to wire at least five schoolrooms and a library in every school in the United States this fall. John Flynn, the state coordinator for NetDay96, got involved because he heard a report that "Michigan had decided to secede from the 21st Century" by not participating in the school wiring efforts. Because of Michigan's late start (only two weeks ago), "We have slated Saturday April 19 as Netday Michigan. Netday 96 for a great portion of the United States is slated for October 26 and in hopes of getting some positive media reaction I am trying to pull together a press conference and a symbolic wiring in one school, most likely in Detroit," Flynn says. 
Mr. Flynn is seeking a regional coordinator as well as electricians, computer technicians and anyone else who has the skills or just the will to help out with this project to contact him.
For more information on efforts in Michigan, visit NetDay's web site or contact John Flynn. For the latest on these and other stories, keep an eye on the Northern Michigan News. If you have a piece on Northern Michigan net-related info, we welcome your submissions and will give you credit if we run it. -alm v 1.2: Christmas Wishes v 2.01: Can I Have Another Cookie? v 2.02: 21st Century Schools |
LINKS
nmj@leelanau.com Voyager Freeway NetOne Northern Michigan ISPage Traverse Communications Microsoft Synet Michigan Montage NetDay 96 jflynn@senate.state.mi.us Northern Michigan News |