One of the key benefits of WEBbeams – and believe me, we’d love to tell you about them all – is that we’re part of a nationwide roaming network. It’s a great way for Wi-Fi users to find reliable Wi-Fi as they’re traveling and log on using their monthly subscriptions, and it’s also a great way for independent coffeeshops (57% of the coffeeshop market) to be a part of something bigger, sharing not just Wi-Fi but also advertising opportunities. We hope you’ll help us continue to grow the WEBbeams network, so we’ve created a loyalty program that might just entice you to refer your favorite cafes. If a café signs up and mentions your name, we’ll give you two months free WEBbeams: whether you’re a hotspot owner or a Wi-Fi user.

When you glance around at your neighborhood cafes, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find a few with puns in their names. Puns – a clever, and somewhat cheesy, wordplay – just seem to be something a lot of café owners love. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out an academic paper presented by Lynn C. Hattendorf Westney, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ms. Hattendorf’s paper, “Dew Drop Inn and Lettuce Entertain You: Onomastic Sobriquets in the Food and Beverage Industry” includes a lengthy list of such names, including coffeeshops, hot dog stands, and just about every other type of restaurant. To see her list, visit her web site. If you’re brainstorming catchy wordplays for your own shop, you might be surprised to find they’re already here.

Thank you to everyone who attended last month’s Great Lakes Barista Competition, the first to be held in Milwaukee. We were excited to be a sponsor – and have all the action right in our building. The event was a big success, and the following baristas finished in the top three:

#1 Mike Phillips - Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago
#2 Justin Teisl - Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee
#3 Scott Lucey - Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee

If you’d like a play-by-play, Iron Chef-style rundown of the event, check out http://twitchy.org.

If you’re a long-time reader you’ve no doubt heard our pessimistic view of municipal Wi-Fi projects. Well, the New York Times recently published an article (“Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade as Internet Providers Pull Out”) that explained just how these projects have failed due to “unrealistic ambitions and technological glitches.” While some cities have cancelled their projects before they even got off the ground, others have abandoned them midstream, leaving residents without service.

When disaster strikes, Wi-Fi might be the superhero we should all await. Well, perhaps superhero is a strong word, but according to a recent article (“When Disaster Strikes, Wi-Fi Responds”) in Wi-Fi Planet, Wi-Fi has made an impact in situations like Hurricane Katrina, wildfires in California, and the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

If you plan to attend this year’s SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) conference in Minneapolis, stop by and visit WEBbeams at booth 989. The show, which runs May 3-5 in downtown Minneapolis, is the SCAA’s 20th annual convention and will include a series of labs and lectures (new formats this year) on a variety of café-related issues, including certification and environmental sustainability within the coffee-growing industry. Learn more on their web site, including interesting comments about what SCAA calls the “third wave” of the industry.