Edmund Tijerina: Entrepreneur examines the use of technology during disasters

October 26, 2006

Call this the alliteration connection: San Antonio, Silicon Valley and Switzerland.

Last week, techno entrepreneur Frank Robles celebrated the grand opening of CityNAP, an Internet hub and data center that aims to help young companies get going.

Robles moved here earlier this year from Palo Alto, Calif., the epicenter of Silicon Valley.

To give an idea of his status in the tech field, consider that he left the opening of his own local business to give a keynote address at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland. That conference addressed using communications technologies in natural disasters.

The topic of his talk: "How CAP Alerts are Supported by the Google Earth Infrastructure."

He can explain it.

Big board
Local attorney José H. Villarreal, a partner with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, is the new board chairman of the New America Alliance.

He was sworn in Wednesday during an awards dinner in New York, which was part of the group's annual summit.

The New America Alliance consists of high-dollar Latino businesspeople who work toward bringing more Latinos into the upper echelons of corporate and financial fields.

One year
Happy anniversary to San Antonio Magazine.

The upscale lifestyle publication celebrated the mark with a reception Wednesday at the Central Library.

With several different local magazines targeting different segments of the lifestyle and entertainment market, there's lots of competition.

Is there room for all of them?

Travel Channeling
In case you missed it, the Watermark Hotel & Spa got some major love this week.

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards, broadcast Wednesday on the Travel Channel, included the category of top hotels.

And No. 2 on the list — the Watermark, second to the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago.

Yes, the entire country.

The results of the Readers' Choice Awards are in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler.

Back again
Now that it's the last Saturday of the month, it's time again for the Houston Street Fair and Market.

Yes, the free outdoor monthly festival that features food, beverages, arts, locally made crafts and live music.

This month, it's on the west side of the thoroughfare, from Flores to Santa Rosa streets.

And there's going to be a Halloween costume contest, with judging at 3 p.m.

Remember, it's a family event. So keep it clean.