An Internet smorgasbord with lots of fiber

John Everett is general manager of Columbia Fiber Solutions – www.columbiafiber.com. The Spokane-based company provides a fiber optic network connecting 330 buildings and businesses across the area with a private metropolitan network and high-bandwidth connections. Here are Everett’s favorite Web sites:

Work stuff

I log onto the Internet first thing in the morning and use it throughout the day. I subscribe to a variety of industry newsletters which send headline e-mails that link to articles and blogs on various sites including Networkworld.com, Lightreading.com and Telephonyonline.com. These are great information sources on the latest news on equipment and companies in the telecom and networking industry.

Maps

We work a lot with local developers to ensure they have facilities in place to fiber their buildings. I use Google Maps and Google Earth to look up the location of a building in relation to our existing network and the assessor Web sites of both Spokane County www.spokanecounty.org/pubpadal and Kootenai County at www.co.kootenai.id.us/ departments/assessor to look up building ownership.

Local activities

On the personal level, I check out the conditions and the mountain Webcam at www.mtspokane.com, and keep up with what is going on at my kids’ school at www.spokaneschools.org/ Ferris/ParentResources.stm.

Entertainment

I listen to music on the Web throughout the day at WFUV in New York City at www.wfuv.org. On weekends I also listen to a radio station on Martha’s Vineyard at www.mvyradio.com.

I recently came across a repository of a wide variety of old concerts from the Fillmore West at www.wolfgangsvault.com.

Information

I’m often on the New York Times website at www.nytimes.com to keep up with what’s going on in New York (my home state), world news, business news and movie reviews.

I use both Charlesschwab.com and Morningstar.com to keep up with investments.