Remember all the fuss earlier this year over Google fiber?

Google was going to pick a city where it would build a high-speed Internet system and every city in the U.S. went "pick me! pick me!"

Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill were among the Triangle communities that professed their love for all things Google in an effort to win the prize.

All that was in March. Since then Facebook pages and blogs have kept the dream alive but so far Google hasn't named a city. Last month, the company did announce that it would test the network at Stanford University.

Today the Greensboro News & Record reports that Google will name a community by the end of the year, quoting from the company's official blog.

A Greensboro community activist who helped coordinate that city's application for the program told the paper that he expects Google to narrow the list of 1,100 applicants down to 30 and start visiting cities by December.

An Internet research company that has no relationship with Google has done it's own winnowing. Steketee Greiner ranked 100 applicants by social network interest, media reports and other factors and came up with a top 10 list. Two N.C. cities were on it: Greensboro and Asheville.

To read the whole story go here.

To read what Steketee Greiner is reporting on its blog go here.

Yes, I know your calendars are already marked for National Alpaca Farm Days this weekend! Last April we introduced you to this lovely lady:

 This is Prissy Girl, just after her coif in the spring. She lives at Kipling Pines Alpacas in Kipling, in Harnett County. On Saturday, the farm will be open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Cathy Knight, owner of the farm, writes: "You are  invited to come sit on the porch or under the shade trees and spin or knit if you would like.  "

"Children are definitely welcome! Bring your camera and friends. We are about 8 miles south of Fuquay, just off Hwy 401South."

Looking for a little diversion? Spinners have geared up for a little personal challenge to run concurrently with the Tour de France (that's bicycles, of course -- another kind of wheel spinning). Here's the deal: Sign up at the Tour de Fleece and pick a challenge. This year's challenge involves diving into your stash and spinning up some fleece that's been hanging around waiting for attention. The goal is to meet your challenge by the time of the last stage of Tour de France on July 27.

Here's what I like about this challenge: There is a goal and a deadline. That's just what newspaper work is all about. Exploring and explaining an idea by a given deadline.

Don't know how to spin? Well, then, learning to spin can be your challenge. Of course, you won't have any stash to draw on, but that's OK. You can learn to spin at yarns, etc in Carrboro, Shuttles, Needles and Hooks in Cary and the Bull City Fiber Loft in Durham. The Tour de Fleece blog also has lots of resources for learning on your own (as well as some links to the Tour de France). You can also check out the spinning portion of Homespun here and here and here.

If you're joining in, drop me a line and let me know. I'll keep you up to date on this blog and also at this blog.

And here's my goal: See that pile of fluff in front of the spinning wheel? I picked it up at the aught-five Sheep and Wool Festival. I'm going to spin that fluff into fiber. This will involve, I think, rousting out my carders and brushing of my spinning skills. I can't wait to get started!