Well, we’re not sure if Elizabeth Barrett Browning was drinking coffee when she wrote her famous sonnet (“How do I love thee?”), but we’re convinced coffee’s a great way to show your love on Valentine’s Day. If you’re a coffee shop owner/manager, create a special display of mugs, chocolates, coffee beans, Valentine’s Day-flavored drinks, and other items for Valentine’s Day, and offer your customers an easy but thoughtful way to treat their loved ones. The incredible aromas and tastes are a great way to get your Valentine’s attention (and coffee has long been thought to be an aphrodisiac!).

According to the Pew Research Center, the Internet has played a significant role in the 2008 presidential campaign so far, with 24% of Americans saying they regularly learn something about the campaign online, nearly double figures from the 2004 election. Among Americans age 18 to 29, the number jumps to 42%. While candidates now realize the important of having a robust web site, many also realize MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites play an important role as well. Check out "The Internet’s Broader Role in Campaign 2008” online and see an interesting breakdown of where the public turns for information about the election as well as how these numbers have changed throughout the past three election.

Last month Time Warner, a major Internet provider in the U.S., announced a trial to bill users for the amount of Internet bandwidth they use instead of a straight monthly fee. The company, which believes this plan would only affect about 5% of users, hopes the new billing system could help reduce congestion of its network due to people downloading large video files.

Since launching WEBbeams in 2003, we’ve kept our daily and monthly rates the same. Well, in order to keep up with inflation, we’ve finally decided to raise our rates a bit. Within the next month, rates will change to the following:

$2.50 for 30 minutes / 9 cents per additional minute
$7.95 per day
$17.95 limited monthly (1800 minutes) / 9 cents per additional minute
$22.95 unlimited monthly

Our old rates were as follows:
$2.00 for 30 minutes / 7 cents per additional minute
$6.95 per day pass
$15.95 limited monthly (1800 minutes) / 7 cents per additional minute
$22.95 unlimited monthly

While the day and limited monthly plans have gone up a bit, the unlimited monthly plan remains the same, offering a great value for Wi-Fi users who spend a significant amount of time at their favorite cafés. This rate increase applies to Wi-Fi users at our cafés, not hotspot owners.

Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center, a three-hospital campus with more than 7,000 employees and annual revenues of $1 billion, felt increasingly overwhelmed with the paper trail that defines many U.S. hospitals. Determined to offer patients better care and staff faster access to patient records, the hospital system began a wireless initiative in 2003, completing this $3.8 million project in October 2007. With more than 1,300 access points across eight locations all linked via a metro Ethernet network, the new network supports about 600 wireless workstations on wheels, 400 wireless laptops, and 200 tablet PCs. Steve Horsley, director of IT at the center, recently spoke at Network World’s IT Roadmap Conference & Expo in Dallas. To read about the lessons learned during this lengthy process or hear a podcast interview with Horsley, check out “Hospital Reaps Healthy Returns from Wireless.”

If you’re a barista ready to strut your stuff or just a coffee lover looking for a good time, check out the annual Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition in Milwaukee. Created by the Specialty Coffee Association and hosted by Alterra, the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition makes the move from Chicago to Milwaukee this year, and we're excited to be one of the event's sponsors. The March 13-16 event will showcase some of the region’s best baristas as well as a variety of great coffee-related products. For more information, check out greatlakesbaristacompetition.com.