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Town/Village of East Rochester announces web streaming available on website

East Rochester Community News (ERCN TV-12), and the Town/Village of East Rochester announced Friday that web streaming of the current programming watched on Time Warner Cable Access Channel 12, is now up and running.

The programming includes local meetings and events.

Before residents who wanted to watch school board meetings or village meetings had to have Time Warner basic cable and live in the town of East Rochester or Pittsford. A good percentage of the residents in the town use satellite TV or they watch TV on the internet using their computer and could not get ERCN programming.

Regional Science Olympiad at St. John Fisher College

Three hundred students representing 16 Rochester-area middle schools will be at St. John Fisher College to participate in the 2012 Regional Science Olympiad Competition on Saturday, February 25.

The competition will determine the area’s top students in the field of science.

A total of 22 teams have been preparing since September to compete in 20 events in the fields of engineering, biology, physical science, and problem solving.

It is one of several regional competitions in New York State, which act as a preliminary round to the state competition to be held on April 20th and April 21st at SUNY Ulster. The two winning teams in the state competition move on to the national competition in May.

The History of the Rochester Weather Station

When I visit schools, I’m often asked how I became interested in the weather. Observing the weather as a high school student and as a college student studying meteorology at Lyndon State College in Vermont played a very important role in my professional growth. Growing up in eastern Massachusetts, I had many opportunities to be an eyewitness to a number of major weather events like Hurricane Gloria in 1985, and the March “Superstorm” of 1993.  I also had the unique opportunity and privilege to work at and intern at the Blue Hill Observatory, which holds the title for the longest, most homogeneous climate record in the United States. They’ve never missed a day of weather observations since April 1, 1885. Now that’s what I call dedication!

Fairport mom develops 'Zwirlz' app for girls

Fairport mom develops 'Zwirlz' app for girls

Kids have enough mobile games to keep their fingers busy, but how often can they use one to get moving to a positive message?

Jennifer Shanley, a Fairport resident and mother of two, saw the need for a mobile app that encourages both. In July, she and a team of local developers launched Zwirlz, an app specifically designed for girls.

As a parent, she saw the need for games that didn’t just keep kids mesmerized by “Angry Birds” or other distraction-based antics.

A new interactive game app for girls created by Fairport mom

Calling all girls and pre-teens! There's a new interactive game for you created by a Fairport mother.

It's called Zwirlz. It is interactive game application for girls that will be available June 23. The game is available for the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, where players actually get up and move.

“Zwirlz looks to empower girls, both mentally and physically,” says Co-founder and CEO, Jennifer Shanley. “It engages them in a fun physical activity, while they socialize, create, and play together.”

The app is $0.99 and designed for girls ages six-years-old to twelve-years-old.

Zwirlz headquarters in located in Packett's Landing on South Main Street on Fairport.

Fairport Red Raiders Robotics Team to compete at RIT

Fairport Red Raiders Robotics Team to compete at RIT

The Fairport Red Raiders Robotics Team will be showing off its Robot Jemo in its first competition at RIT this weekend. Over 40 teams from the Rochester area and beyond will come to RIT to compete their robots in the FIRST Robotics regional event on March 4 and 5.

The Red Raiders Robotics Team had six weeks to build Jemo, who is named in honor of Jim Nowak. Nowak was a retired teacher who died in a head-on collision while in Kenya in January. He was 59-years-old.

The event will also be aired on Rochester area Time Warner Cable Channel 4, beginning at 9 a.m.

For more on the Fairport team, click here.

The event at RIT is free and open to the public.

Crossing Over....

Crossing Over....

Every computer I’ve ever owned has always been a PC running Windows or something similar to Windows (Linux).  That’s what real computer users do.  The “Macs” were just an over-priced toy coveted by a fanatical minority cult.  Well, (probably) due to the recent reconfiguring of astrological signs, I lost focus and bought an iPad – and I am sorry…very sorry…