internet

Aptos Public Library

July 30, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Aptos Public Library is an awesome community resource for the people of Aptos. Any day of the week, you’re likely to find a surprisingly large number of cars in the parking lot and people inside, reading books, newspapers, magazines, or surfing the Internet. The Library does provide free WiFi and electricity to plug in your laptop, or you can use one of their computers to surf the Interwebs.

They also have a great children’s room, with a large selection of books in both English and Spanish. They have a friendly, helpful staff and the place is warm, safe, and inviting. If the Aptos branch doesn’t have a book you’re looking for, they can request it from another branch and if it’s in the catalog, it’ll be brought over. There’s also a public meeting room which can be used by community organizations and non-profits as needed. Also, there’s a Metro bus stop right out in front, so it’s easy to access by those without a car.

The Aptos Public Library is considered by many to be one of best libraries in the Santa Cruz Public Library system, and we consider it an Aptos Gem.

Aptos Way Back Machine: Real Estate

July 23, 2014 by Seb Frey

Back before there was such a thing as smart phones…back before “broadband” Internet was widely available for most people…back when Netscape was battling it out with Internet Explorer for supremacy on the world wide web…

There was the MLS book. To you youngsters out there, it may seem incredible, but there was once a time when Joe Sixpack couldn’t just jump on his smart phone and browse the latest real estate listings. Real estate listings were a closely guarded commodity belonging only to Realtors. If you wanted to know what was for sale, you had to talk to a Realtor. Realtors would browse through the MLS book, updated twice a month, to find homes to show buyers.

Most civilians have never seen the inside of an MLS book. And neither had I, until just yesterday, when I met someone who actually had what was probably one of the last MLS books ever printed in Santa Cruz county, in 1998…at least, the current MLS system has listings beginning in 1998, and not before.

So let’s hope in the Way Back machine and look back in time to late 1998, to see how homes were marketed back then, and what they cost. Check out these pictures:

Supervisor Friend pushes Aptos Broadband

December 9, 2013 by Seb Frey

The Silicon Valley Business Journal recently published a great article about the efforts of Aptos resident and Supervisor Zach Friend to improve the quality of Internet broadband to Santa Cruz county.

The article quotes Supervisor Friend as saying “Our available residential internet access is one step above a joke,” referring to his home in Aptos, which as residents know offers few options for Internet connectivity.

Check out Supervisor Zach Friend on Facebook and at the County Supervisor’s web site.