What’s New

The good news is that our long-term client, The Brain Show, now has a blog. We added this feature to their site last week, and I think that you will find it to be very interesting. The Brain Show is an exciting educational game show that features a TV-like format. It is a real knock out. Be sure to check out their blog at www.thebrainshow.com/blog/.

On another note, blogs are important tools for your Web site, and they will be part of the discussion at the December 4 presentation at the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Group meeting. Details are at www.guilderlandchamber.com/calendar.html.

We have had a very exciting day or so here. Yesterday we launched the new Web site Sierra North Real Estate.

This new Web site features all the important information about Sierra North. But it also has some important special goodies. Included is a multiple listing service search function and a page just for their listing that has links to amazing virtual tours.

Be sure to visit www.sierranorthrealestate.com today!

A couple of weeks ago was the 40th birthday of the Internet. It is hard to believe, but the ‘Net has been around since 1969. We aren’t talking about the World Wide Web, which is something different, related, but different. There are some good histories of the Internet out there, but you might be interested in these, Dr. Leonard Kleinrock’s site at UCLA, and a narrative by Vint Cerf.

The Internet (yes, it is appropriate to have a capital “I” because it is a proper name) was a US government sponsored project. You can read the details at the links above, but, roughly speaking, the goal was to create a reliable communication method. The technique developed was very novel at the time. When described today it seems very simple, but in actual fact it is not.

The Internet is relies on packet communication. Data, such as a file, is broken up into small parts called “packets.” These packets are identified by what we might call a part number, a “to” address, and a “from” address. The packets are sent from one computer to another, but not necessarily by the same path. They are then reassembled in the proper order. It is almost if if a jigsaw puzzle sent from one point to another with some parts going by mail, others by UPS, some by Fed-X, and even more by camel.

One of the most amazing aspects of the Internet project was how the developers came up with protocols and schemes by which the packets could find their way from point A to point B, and then have the participating computers check and recheck to make sure the packets sent, received, and complete. If they aren’t “just right” the Internet protocols have the packets resent. This is fantastic stuff.

The World Wide Web (and, yes, “Web” must be capitalized as it is also a proper name) is a segment of the Internet. The Internet is a network of networks, all interconnected, and the Web is a part of the whole. Those of us who remember Internet communication before the Web know that the really neat and cool stuff we see on our screens today is absolutely out of this world compared to the “old days.”

Today the World Wide Web and the greater Internet are interwoven into our daily lives. This was not what the inventors had in mind, but there you have it. Most people say the ‘Net is a good thing, a very few say it isn’t, but the simple fact of the matter is that you could not read this entry if it wasn’t for the Internet and the experts who created it 40 years ago.

You probably noticed the big article in the Times Union about Stuyvesant Plaza celebrating their 50th anniversary. The Plaza has kept up with the times by following a course of careful change and upgrading. It is a super place to visit, and as everyone in the Capital District knows, the shops are first-class.

Please visit their Web site and www.stuyvesantplaza.com and see a dynamic site in action. They really know how to keep their Web presence hopping. By the way, they event have a Stuyvesant Cam, so you can see the action in real-time.

Congratulations Stuyvesant Plaza for a great 50 years!

The Business Startup Seminar at the Guilderland Public Library was a big hit. About 20 participants met at 10:00 am on October 31 to listen to three speakers that included Yours Truly.

Also on the program was Kate Baker from the Small Business Development Center at UAlbany and Liz Calandrino customer service and social network marketing expert. We were introduced by Kathy Burbank from the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce.

The program was two hours of important marketing information for people preparing to start new businesses. The participants left with tons of tips and good information. This was the third in a three-part series. This series was originally offered at this time last year and was such a big success then that the Library, the GCC, and the SBDC decided to present it again this year.