ICYMI: Google Fiber woes, Lyft / Uber talk and Dell’s EMC progress

Kyle Walker shows areas outside his home in Southeast Austin where he says contractors for Google Fiber did damage to his property. Credit: Deborah Cannon / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

• Claudia Grisales takes a look at the frustrations and even tears caused by Google Fiber's protracted (and ongoing) rollout in Austin. We knew it would take a while for Google Fiber to get set up for Austinites, but residents say they weren't expecting problems that the physical construction of the network is causing.
• On the podcast I co-host, "Statesman Shots," we discussed with Statesman transportation reporter Ben Wear the current state of ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft vs. the Austin City Council and the May 7 election over fingerprinting and fees. As a tech reporter, it's sometimes difficult to reconcile the technology implications of Uber and Lyft vs. their civic and public behavior, so you may hear me struggling with that a little in the discussion. Give it a listen and tell us what you think.
• Over on the Austin Music Source blog, Deborah Sengupta Stith takes a look at what we can learn about parties and installations to expect this year from the list of those approved for SXSW. Deborah will be a guest on the next episode of "Shots" discussing SXSW Music, permitting and the many Twitter problems of Kanye West. Look for that episode on Thursday on the "Statesman Shots" blog.
• Statesman tech reporter Lilly Rockwell gives us a status update on Dell's gigantic acquisition of data storage company EMC Inc. Despite some speculation, Dell says things are still on track.
• Check back in later this morning on the Digital Savant blog for a story about big changes at this year's South by Southwest Gaming Expo. Should fans of the fest be worried?