Craig Walker, The Denver Post

Qwest's headquarters building at 1801 California St. in Denver.

CenturyLink is expected to close its acquisition of Denver-based Qwest tomorrow. Here’s a rundown of where top executives are headed:

CEO Ed Mueller – He will serve as a board member of the combined company. “I’m going to take a little breather,” he told me last year. “I’ve been doing this 43 years. I never thought I’d come here to Denver.”

CFO Joe Euteneuer – Taking over as CFO at Sprint Nextel.

Chief administrative officer Rich Baer – He’s been blogging at Corporate Counsel.

COO Teresa Taylor – She declined comment when I asked her a few weeks ago following Qwest’s first-fourth quarter earnings call.

EVP of mass markets Dan Yost – Not yet announced.

Colorado president Chuck Ward – He said he would focus on nonprofit and charity work initially. Here’s a statement from Ward: “I made the decision to take this opportunity to explore other challenges and to contribute to a different organization, be it public or private, profit or nonprofit.”

As previously reported, the top executives at Qwest Read more…

In a decision that was at least four months delayed, Google said today that it has picked Kansas City, Kan., for its “ultra high-speed broadband” project.

Google will wire the community with a fiber network that will provide residents, businesses and organizations with Internet access that is “more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have today.”

Read more…

Denver Post file photo

Joe Nacchio, right, with his lead defense attorney, Herbert Stern, during trial in 2007.

Former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio, serving a 70-month prison term for insider trading, has sued his trial lawyers, Stern & Kilcullen, for negligence and over billing.

Bloomberg News reported today that items on a more than $25 million legal tab included underwear and in-room movies.

The firm billed Nacchio more than $25 million to defend criminal and civil matters, charging tens of thousands of dollars for staff breakfasts, attorney underwear and in-room movies during the trial in federal court in Denver, according to the complaint in state Superior Court in Newark, New Jersey.

Nacchio’s lead defense attorney, Herbert Stern, entered the case as a star lawyer. But he stumbled through trial, often scolded by the judge and appearing lackadaisical at times.

Bloomberg says Nacchio is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Qwest covered a portion of Nacchio’s legal fees, but the company hasn’t disclosed how much it paid.

Nacchio was convicted in 2007. He began serving his prison term in April 2009.

With growing criticism of the T-Mobile deal, AT&T has its work cut out in terms of swaying officials and the general public that consumers stand to benefit. Om Malik from Gigaom says everyone loses in the merger, noting that T-Mobile’s cheaper rate plans may be a thing of the past.

One potential benefit for consumers, according to AT&T, is that the acquisition will enable the wireless carrier to broaden its 4G LTE deployment plans.

The first map below depicts the company’s current LTE deployment plans in Colorado by the end of 2013. The second map Read more…

AP Photo

This photo combination shows logos for AT&T, left, and Deutsche Telekom AG. AT&T Inc. on Sunday, March 20, 2011 said it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion, becoming the largest cellphone company in the U.S.

From a technological standpoint, AT&T’s proposed $39 billion deal for T-Mobile makes more sense than the previously rumored marriage of T-Mobile and Sprint.

AT&T and T-Mobile operate GSM networks, while Sprint and Verizon operate CDMA networks.

One key difference between the two types of networks is the removable SIM cards – which hold a subscriber’s account information and, in many cases, contacts – that are used in GSM phones.

The removable SIM allows AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers to easily switch between phones. CDMA phones have to be switched by the respective carriers.

And GSM phones can be unlocked to allow the devices to be used with other GSM carriers.

Because of this, many T-Mobile customers have access to the iPhone Read more…

AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama

A man, right, hugs his cousin as they are reunited at a shelter and he was told that all his family are safe following last week's earthquake and tsunami in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, Friday, March 18, 2011.

Boulder-based Spark Relief has established a web portal – QuakeHousing.org – to assist victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The site allows people to offer housing to those in need, and victims to find housing if they’re displaced.

Denver-based video gaming site Kotaku is hosting a fundraiser March 24 from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver.

Attendees will be able to play games such as Rock Band and DJ Hero on stage while raising funds to assist victims. Organizers are asking for a minimum donation of $10, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society. The event Read more…

Today’s the great SXSW switch: many of the Interactive and Film festival attendees leave town, while the Music folk roll in.

Only $375 to go: Panhandling for an ipad2

Aaron Heideman has a collection of Sharpie pens he uses to his advantage. He landed in Austin a week ago — he’s hitchhiking across the country as part of a book he’s writing, he says — and needed a way to make money. When the temporary Apple store opened last week, Heideman saw his opportunity.

Read more…

Three hours after getting off the plane, Akihiko Kodama was celebrating the launch of his company’s iphone application in a downtown Austin bar. He wasn’t just celebrating the launch, he was sharing stories and photos from Japan’s earthquake with coworkers.
“Even in this condition, we came here, to let the people know about this,” Kodama said.

“The earthquake hit when I was in [the Narita] airport,” Kodama said. He and two of his coworkers spent 20 hours at the airport before their flight left. One of his coworkers suffered a minor injury.

Kodama is the project manager at domo, a mobile app that’s part of the Tonchidot Corporation, a large Japanese internet company. Domo is one of a few Japan-based startups at SXSW.

Read more…

The next big thing? Before SXSWi started, group texting devices had a grip on the buzz. Now? Not as much. To get an idea of what the next big thing might be, I asked dozens of festival attendees what they thought it would be.

One of the most common answers — one echoed by Guy Kawasaki — was “I don’t know.” Other popular answers: mobile, turning ordinary activities in to games (“gamification”), geolocation technologies, and the bringing together of social networking sites.

What’s the next big thing?

Guy Kawasaki: “Oh man, nobody knows. And if they knew, they wouldn’t tell you.”
Carolyn Petrie: “Whatever it is it’s going to be something really [bleeping] simple.”

Read more…

Question: What’s the Wikileaks food truck selling?
Answer: Leek Soup.

So. Twenty four hours ago I joined the thousands who… yeah, there are a lot of people here. It can be overwhelming. I haven’t found the next-new-thing yet, but I’m getting close. It’s starting to sound like it’s more about gaming and turning everyday actions into games… and less about group texting.

Here’s what I have seen:

Read more…