Homer hosts technology fair

Work-at-home e-business, desktop alert system, and public safety communications project featured

By Anne Byers, Nebraska Information Technology Commission

The Homer Technology Committee hosted a technology fair on Saturday, April 17 at the Homer Community School.

Kim Rowley from Pierce, Nebraska shared how she turned coupon clipping and bargain shopping into a successful work-at-home e-business. Kim began using the Internet for bargain shopping, starting shoppingbookmarks.com in 1999 as a hobby. She registered to become an affiliate of several Internet retailers, earning a commission by promoting products and deals of Internet merchants. As the site grew, so did Kim's commissions, paying for a new dishwasher, Lasik surgery, and an airplane.

Kim was eventually able to quit her job and work full-time on her e-business, which has expanded to include workinmypajamas.com, allbabydeals.com, fundraiserworld.com, traveldealsplus.com, and preemietwins.com. Kim's tips for starting a home-based business can be found at workinmypajamas.com.

A crowd surrounded Lance Martin, Communications Coordinator for the City of South Sioux City, as he let attendees handle fiber optic cable and see how light is transmitted over fiber. Lance gave a number of presentations, including one on Long Lines Link, a desktop alert system that can be downloaded free from www.southsiouxcity.org. Long Lines Link allows users to receive notification of local public safety, severe weather, and AMBER alerts. Users can also view current weather conditions and zoomable national and local weather maps.

Lance Martin also gave a presentation on how the Sioux City tri-state area is establishing communications interoperability among public safety personnel. Starcomm (Siouxland Tri-State Area Radio Communications) was formed as the result of a nearly $6 million grant award from FEMA to implement an interoperable public safety radio communications network. When complete, Starcomm will include 3 states, 10 counties, and 2 tribal authorities, benefiting over 230,000 people. Five to six communications towers, microwave radio between towers and fiber optics will connect the three communications centers of Woodbury County, Iowa; Union County, South Dakota; and Dakota County, Nebraska. Starcomm will also utilize a mobile communications bus to provide interoperability at natural disasters, fires, and other public safety emergencies. More information on Starcomm is available at www.starcomm.org.

Other speakers talked about farmers, police and seniors are using technology. Exhibitors showed attendees how to develop Web sites and how to search for jobs on the Sioux City Journal web site www.siouxcityjournal.com.

Lunch was provided for a free-will donation.

Lance Martin explains how Starcomm will provide communications interoperability for emergency responders in the tri-state Siouxland area.

TANgents, a quarterly publication of Technologies Across Nebraska, is edited and produced by Linda Tempel, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, ltempel@unlnotes.unl.edu, and Anne Byers, Nebraska Information Technology Commission, abyers@notes.state.ne.us. Please contact us if you would like to contribute an article or an idea for an article. Comments and suggestions are also welcome.