Earlier today we reported on the announcement of a free Wi-Fi zone in midtown Manhattan by CBS. Part of the announcement includes information on the ad-supported homepage. The homepage is actually a white label social network provided by Ning.

As I started to think about this partnership some more while enjoying pizza with friends at Lombardi's, why didn't CBS select local providers KickApps or Magnify.net? Both provide robust social networking services on the same level as Ning and they are both local to NYC.

Ning has the Internet celebrity founder but otherwise I just don't see why CBS wouldn't select local. I am by no means saying Ning is inferior, they all basically provide the same service, each has a bit of innovation in different areas.

Any one out on the Interwebs have any thoughts? Was either site even in the running? Check out our previous Ning, Magnify.net and KickApps coverage.

For Wordies in the New York City area, this could be fun: a naming party for a new company. I met these good folks on the NextNY list, where Jonah helps maintain the blogroll. Go for the free food and drink, stay for the company and to show off your mad, mad word skills. I'm going to try and make it, though I'm stuck out in the hinterlands of New Jersey all afternoon tomorrow, so we'll see.

Naming companies, and web sites, can be amazingly difficult. Especially if you're trying to find an available domain at the same time. Mein got, coming up with Squirl took frickin' forever, and in the end we still made the moronic amateur-hour decision to get a .info domain (because we loved the name, but the squatter who owned .com wanted $35k for it). Wordie came more easily, perhaps because I had no intention of building it. Everything is easier when it's a joke.

Some awesome news out of Manhattan today. CBS Corporation has announced today that it will "light up" midtown Manhattan with the creation of the "CBS Mobile Zone," a wireless high-speed network enabling New Yorkers with Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones, laptops or other devices to access the Internet for free, and make voice over internet (VOI) calls.

The zone will be from Times Square to Central Park South and from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and is a test in partnership with the MTA.

You might be asking what CBS gets out of the deal - ad impressions! New Yorkers who access the "CBS Mobile Zone," will be greeted by an ad-supported homepage that includes hyperlocal content such as breaking local and national news, sports highlights, weather reports, music discovery, wallpapers, ringtones, maps, a social network and the ability to search for nearby restaurants, shops and entertainment complete with geographically- targeted community reviews. Citi and Salesgenie.com(TM) have signed on to be early sponsors of the Wi-Fi HotZone.

"This is another example of how the assets of CBS Outdoor are enhanced by new technologies," said Wally Kelly, Chairman and CEO of CBS Outdoor. "What better way to show we are committed to turning our Outdoor assets
into next-generation interactive platforms than providing free Wi-Fi service in what is arguably the busiest stretch of real estate in the world. This offering will allow us to evaluate the prospect of applying Wi-Fi capabilities across our Outdoor properties globally."

They are also giving routers to local businesses in the Mobile Zone to enhance the signals. I wonder what the signal will be like on New Year's Eve! Just how many connections can this system handle was not disclosed.

Many of the companies covered on CN are included in the Homepage including: Tropos, BIG, Fon, Ning, Goowy, Veoh, Yelp, 1020, Aptilo and Can-Do Entertainment.

Very exciting news - I will do my best to test the system over the coming weeks and report back.

NY-based Mogulus has announced the launch today it's new live streaming platform that enables anyone with a computer, a web-cam and a high speed connection to broadcast like a multi-million dollar television station. The announcement was made at the NewTeeVee event in San Francisco.

They are also streaming the NTV event live so you can watch it from anywhere. From what I have seen, this is the closest thing to an individual being able to create a real, live, actual TV station with badges, tickers, etc. And you can chat with your audience at the same time.

Mogulus also unveiled its Mogulus Grid at the NewTeeVee event. The Mogulus Grid allows you to watch 26 Mogulus Live channels and chat with all of the other viewers. You can also search and browse for channels using the program guide if the top 26 channel selections are not what you want.

I guess this is some competition for Ustream though Mogulus appears to be much larger in name recognition here in NYC.

The Silicon Alley Insider is bringing back the Silicon Alley 100 list… and while you’re eagerly awaiting who they pick and why, you can go participate by voting in the People’s Choice.

Of everything the Silicon Alley Insider is doing, I think bringing back the Silicon Alley 100 is one of the coolest. As I’ve said for a long time… it’s this kind of hyping which is good for the New York tech scene (as long as the hype is backed-up with something). There are tons of people worth talking about and honoring. NY’s tech companies are more successful than ever. Computer science enrollment at local universities is growing, finally. The City is listening up. Now, it’s time to honor these people.

Now, if you think SAI making a list of the top 100 folks has no practical purpose whatsoever, consider this quote from a March 2000 article in Salon.com, back when Jason Calacanis’ Silicon Alley Reporter was publishing the list:

The Alley 100 issue is a chance to both kiss the collective behinds of Alley digerati — Calacanis’ list this year prominently features friends and colleagues such as author Douglas Rushkoff and indiewire.com editor Eugene Hernandez (who shares the same publisher as the Silicon Alley Reporter) — but also to tweak the notion of CEO self-importance. Alongside such Fortune fare as Jay Walker of Priceline and Geraldine Laybourne of Oxygen are listed more edgy names like Emmanuel Goldstein, editor of the hacker zine 2600; Rufus Griscom and Genevieve Field of erotica site Nerve; and the omnipresent founders of Feed magazine. (Those dropped from last year’s list are also mentioned, and admonished for being “boring.”)

So here we are, 2007, and instead of the Reporter we have the Insider publishing the list… hopefully mixing together a healthy combination of “ass kissing” and “CEO ego tweaking.” But, there’s still a little missing… YOUR VOICE IN ALL OF THIS:

Enter the “Silicon Alley 100: People’s Choice.”

Background: The People’s Choice list started when Caroline McCarthy, CNet writer and author of The Social, and I wanted a way to privately speculate as to who would make the Insider’s list. However, we also saw it as a way for everyone to get their voice in this process… and so we opened it up. Right now, if you head to alley100.bricabox.com, you can nominate and vote for the people YOU THINK should be recognized in NY tech. So far the list is at 68 and growing!

When it’s all said and done (which will be when SAI publishes its list) the folks at the top of our list will win nothing but the honor of being nominated by their peers (or themselves). However, we’re currently talking to people who want to provide a prize to the top people who do not end up in the Silicon Alley Insider’s list, and if you want to offer some sort of unofficial prize you should let me know.

So, head on over to Alley100.BricaBox.com and start voting!

Disclosure: The Alley 100 - People’s Choice list is powered by BricaBox, the company I founded and am CEO of. I am well aware that this looks like a publicity stunt for our platform, and I wouldn’t deny that there’s some stunt wrapped up in this. Also, people should know that this is not officially affiliated with SAI’s list, which will be the List of Record.

Nate Westheimer, a friend of mine is running an “Alley 100” contest with his new startup, Bricabox.  A good PR stunt if you ask me.  Charlie O’Donnell mentioned that this would become a popularity contest between bloggers (thru nextNY) which may certainly happen, but shinning some of the light between the skyskrapers of NY may be a great thing for the NY entrepreneurial industry.

I believe you need to log-in/register to vote (it’s free and takes 2 seconds):   http://alley100.bricabox.com/content/225

NYC-born Jelly’s been spreading right proper lately, with six events coming up in the next 6 days!

That includes Houston, TX (#1), Austin, TX (#2), Stockholm, Sweden (#2), New York City (#29), Boston (#2), and Cincinnati (#2). Whew!

Here’s the Jelly update email I just sent out, via Campaign Monitor, who’s sponsoring Jelly with free email lists for each city’s event. Thanks guys! (Thanks also to pbwiki, which sponsors with a premium wiki account.)

p.s. If anyone knows how we can get a copy of the Today show interview on Jelly on November 4th, please email me! (I haven’t seen it yet.)

Daniel Cassidy's "How the Irish Invented Slang" was recently the subject of a flattering (some might say fawning) story in The New York Times.

Grant Barrett, professional lexicographer and the editor of The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English, called bullshit on Cassidy in a post on his blog and here on Wordie. Our own beloved sionnach weighs in as well.

It's not exactly bareknuckles--this is Wordie, we try to be civilized--but it's edifying to hear from the pros about what constitutes proper lexicography. I'd like to hear Cassidy's response (Barrett isn't the only one to find fault), but as far as I can tell he hasn't responded to his critics, on Wordie or anywhere else.

The new nextNYers episode is now live. Check it out below. It features Joshua Cohen and Jamison Tilsner, founders of Tilzy.TV. Check out my conversation with Joshua and Jamison to learn more about what Tilzy.TV is all about.

If you are interested in participating in nextNYers, send me your details.