Pussy Willows in March with John Latimer [Video]

Did you know there are 18 different species of willow shrubs in MN? Did you know a pussy willow is male OR female? Did you know they come in a variety of colors? Did you know you can make willow whistles? Here's the latest in our continuing series Phenology Videos with John Latimer, this time on Pussy Willow:



Check out more about John Latimer and The Phenology Show at www.kaxe.org.

Gigabit Fiber at Home?

by Chad Haadvedt, KAXE's IT Connection

Google is getting a ton of publicity about it's Google Fiber for Communities contest. They promise to lay out a really fast fiber network in the winning community, and cities all over the country are putting together applications / proposals touting themselves as the best candidate city.

Amongst Google's claims is that they will provide homes and businesses with Internet connections up to 100 times faster than what currently exists in the community. The expectation/hope is that faster connections will lead to 'new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine'.

What will a gigabit Internet connection do for me? Not much in today's world. Or next year's world either. Now, I don't want to be perceived as short sighted, but let's be realistic and look at this little analogy to put things in perspective...

Haulin' Bits

Before the Google Fiber days, I had to haul bits back and forth from my ISP to my house by the wheelbarrow full in my little Toyota pickup. Then Google came along and gave me a ten yard dump truck to haul the bits. Great. Now I should be able to get a lot of bits real fast.

But, oh oh, my ISP can only give me a wheelbarrow of bits at a time. And the rules of the Internet say that I have to deliver each load to my house before I can get the next load. (By the way, the new truck goes the same speed as my little Toyota, it can just carry more.)

I can't be mad at my ISP for not filling up my new truck. It would cost them a huge pile of money to be able to load my big dump truck up to capacity each time, even if they could get the bits fast enough. They have lots of customers. While they have the capacity to load up one or two of those dump trucks every minute, they cannot fill thousands of them at once. After all, they have to pay a shipping charge for the bits they distribute to me and their other customers. It's not free.

It gets worse. Even though my ISP has the ability to give me a whole wheelbarrow load at a time, the company that I want to get bits from can only ship out one dump truck at a time. AND, they have to divide that up amongst a thousand customers simultaneously. So, I'd be lucky to get a shovel's worth of bits from them for each trip anyway.

So, I have this great big dump truck, but I can only haul a wheelbarrow worth of stuff each trip. Sure, it might include a shovel full of bits, a bundle of news, a bucket of movie, or even a game or two. But I'm going to have a lot of unused capacity in that truck. Maybe someone will come up with some stuff to fill up the empty space in my new dump truck, so I can boast about hauling bigger loads. But it'll have to come from someone locally, as my ISP's can't afford to haul it in from off their network. I don't know what I'll do with it, and I wonder how long I'll have to wait for it.

Or, maybe they could just fluff up the bits with a bunch of air so it looks like I'm getting a better deal.

Centerstage MN is Rolling in Women...

by Doug MacRostie

Women's History Month celebrates women's contributions to history, culture and society and we'll further that celebration with an hour dedicated to women performers on Centerstage MN. From the crazy-jazz sounds of The Bad Plus joined by Wendy Lewis to the delicate and personal songs of Alicia Corbett... from the hip and catchy Dalia to the bluesy soul of Janiva Magness...women are going to rock Centerstage MN!

And we'll be talking about the 3rd Annual Sister Song: A Celebration of Women and Their Music with event director Shannon Murray, a local singer, songwriter and community organizer (have you heard about the Babe City Rollers - the new flat-track roller derby team in Bemidj? Yeah, thank Shannon :D). Showcasing many area musicians, the event is also a fundraiser for a scholarship by the same time. Sister Song is Sat. March 27th at the Wild Rose Theater in Bemidji, starting at 6:43pm. Performers include Annie Humphrey, Brenda Weiler, Yasen Marie, Caleigh, Hattie Peterson and many more. Get more info at myspace.com/sistersongbemidji.

Centerstage MN is Thursday evenings at 6, streaming live online at www.KAXE.org; or 91.7 Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org and the show is rebroadcast Sunday mornings at 6.

What's New on KAXE

Tina and the B-Side Movement ... "A-Sides: The Best of TBS"
David Broza ... "Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt"
Delta Moon ... "Hell Bound Train"
Pieta Brown ... "One and All"
Julie Neumark ... "Dimestore Halo"
Jeff Beck... "Emotions & Commotion"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

KAXE Recall?!?! Radio Induced Acceleration

The Consumer Safety Division of Northern Community Radio is currently investigating reports of unintended acceleration of all makes and models of vehicles that are tuned into KAXE. "I was cruising along at an even 56mph on my way home from work," said one concerned driver, "when suddenly I was pulled over by a police officer for going 91.7 miles per hour." He went on to say, "I had no idea I was speeding - the music was sooooo good, and it was a song I hadn't heard in 15 years and I guess I just got carried away while singing along. This must be stopped."

Though unavailable for comment, KAXE put out a press release rejecting the notion of a radio station causing speeding tickets. "While it may be true that we play excellent music that you don't hear anywhere else, we feel it is an individuals responsibility to regulate vehicle speed. Over our 34 years of research and listener feedback, we often find that OPPOSITE is true: people will actually drive slower to allow more time to listen to the radio, and that many even sit in their car parked in the driveway to hear the end of the show they're listening to."

Another vehicle was reported to be going 89.9mph in Brainerd and a third going 105.3mph in Bemidji. Stay tuned, we'll have updates as more info is available...

Tonight on RealGoodWords

Beth Hoffman talks about her new novel, "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt." And bestselling novelist Liza Palmer is back with her latest, "A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents." RealGoodWords with Heidi Holtan ever Wednesday night from 6-7 and Sunday mornings 9-10. A place for those who read, write and appreciate the written word.

No Pinching Centerstage MN - We've Got Green On!

by Doug MacRostie

Whether it's the amazing blues scenes that still holds strong from 30 years ago along the banks of the Mississippi in the Twin Cities, the authentic and raw roots/Americana music of Duluth and the Iron Range, the experimental rock and singer-songwriter movement in Bemidji or any of the other music strongholds in MN - we've got basically every base covered when it comes to musical variety - and Irish music is no different. We'll be having a St. Patty's Day special this week on Centerstage MN.

We'll hear a live recording of McInnis' Kitchen recorded in October of 2008 in the KAXE Studios. From Duluth, they perform Celtic music from Ireland, Newfoundland and Cape Breton. And Scott Hall talks with Paul Imholte of Ring of Kerry, an Irish music group from the St. Cloud area with sounds that range from the thunder of the Irish bodhran drum to the sparkle of the hammered dulcimer.

Plus music from Caleigh from Bemidji, Willowgreen from Duluth, MN legends Boiled in Lead and many more. Centerstage MN is Thursday evenings at 6, streaming live online at www.KAXE.org; or 91.7 Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org and the show is rebroadcast Sunday mornings at 6.