I signed up at the Senior Center
For a Digital Storytelling Class
And I certainly tried but let’s face it
I wasn’t sure I could pass.
While your voice over is telling a story
Your snapshots appear on the screen
But getting the little ‘mouse’ to work for me,
Was harder than it seemed.
You had to be quite quick
As the story began to unfold
To stop the picture at the right place
And press the key to hold.
One of the teachers guided me
And sometimes pushed the key
Because if she didn’t
The picture would have bypassed me!
So my storytelling adventure
Turned out to be just grand
But I have to be honest
It’s only because I had a helping hand.

from Cambridge Day by Marc Levy.

I would just note that CCTV does not "maintain" the Newtowne Court wi-fi; we do "monitor" the network, but have no resources to make repairs or improvements. Susan

"Cambridge’s youth centers and parks are being equipped as free Wi-Fi hotspots, with the newest center, in West Cambridge, already functioning as one. The youth centers are the priority, with assessments to be done over the summer and gear installed and working within “several months,” said Linda Turner, information technology project manager with the city.

"Her department is in the planning stages for two of the city’s many parks, she said.

"This would probably have been mentioned Wednesday at a Cable TV, Telecommunications and Public Utilities Committee meeting about the digital divide, but the meeting was canceled when key personnel weren’t able to attend, an aide to chairwoman Henrietta Davis said Tuesday. The meeting will be rescheduled for the fall. read more...

CCTV's Community Media Coordinator Colin Rhinesmith is presenting a workshop on Social Media to a group of 50 representatives from Cambridge non profit organizations.

You can see his presentation here. http://www.cctvcambridge.org/tech_breakfast

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of storyteller Dr.Hugh Hill, known as Brother Blue. Brother Blue, perhaps the original performance artist, has entertained generations of children and adults with his tales, often accompanied by tambourine and foot stomping. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Hill; together they produced hundreds of hours of storytelling in CCTV's studio, on Cambridge Community Radio, and BeLive.

CCTV will show a retrospective of Brother Blue's programs in December. To see a video of Brother Blue performing on the street for Cambridge Community Television, follow this link.

Following is his full obituary: read more...

well, I went to see Joe Douillette, CCTV's former Board chair, and Steve Sillari, CCTV's treasurer extraordinaire, at City Feed in JP - they were promoting their line of lollipops, JP Sucks! but after I left, Mayor Tom Menino, no doubt on a last minute campaign swing, stopped by. This photo is by Maria Balbanis.

Today's Boston Globe Magazine had an interesting article about OpenAir Boston and the City's efforts to wire its neighborhoods. Check it out. Meanwhile, an update about what's going on in Cambridge: The Cambridge Housing Authority is applying for stimulus money through the Broadband Technology Opportunities program (BTOP) to support its computer centers and to launch wi-fi and supporting programs at three of its housing developments. The deadline for this application is August 14th, and there should be a quick response, so stay tuned. CCTV is a very small part of that proposal, and we have also applied to be part of the Zero Divide proposal to BTOP....so hopefully Cambridge will see some federal dollars to support the important work that has already been done to bridge the digital divide.

Cambridge Educational Access (Smart TV98 and CPS99) in collaboration with the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program, is running a summer program for young Cambridge reporters called YVC Online. Intern Emilie Nims writes:

"Our goal this summer is to report on as many things as we can here in Cambridge, whether it be local farmer's markets, dance performances or community discussions. Our projects will incorporate many forms of multimedia, including blogs, podcasts and video reports about local happenings, all from a youth perspective."