Mary, Hallie, and I ran in the Minnesota State Fair 5K Milk Run today. What a beautiful day for running!

We started too far back in the pack so we had a very slow beginning. We were actually behind some walkers! There was no room to pass at the start either. Still, Mary and I completed in about 29 minutes and Hallie completed in 26. It's a really nice run through the neigborhoods around the State Fair and the U of M campus.

Doesn't look like the results are available yet.

After the run, home to shower then back for a day at the Fair. Watch the Flickr account for more Fair pictures.

Technorati Tags: mnsf, Minnesota, State_Fair, 5K, running

You can't spend much time around the U's Humphrey Institute without hearing the story of Humphrey's dad's drugstore in Doland, SD and the political discussions that took place there. That civic tradition serves as inspiration for the monthly (give or take) Tom's Drugstore discussions at the Schneider's at 3400 University Ave. SE in Minneapolis (across from KSTP). Tom Gupta is owner and host.

Tom's Drugstore is a a lively, informal political discussion. The conversation takes place around an old, fake pot belly stove, and people sit in the drug store aisles. If you're a big D local Democrat and haven't heard of Tom's, then you're head has been in the sand as folks like Wellstone, Mondale, and Franken have been in attendance.

Next Thursday, August 21, the topic is how to build on the tremendous civic energy that has been generated this year in the elections -- after the election -- for positive social change. Harry Boyte, author of The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference, will lead the open discussion.

This is a very important topic. We all do enjoy the Presidential Campaign Show and we do need a positive change in the top leadership of this country. This campaign has triggered political passions and brought many more people to the polls. But what happens on November 5th? No matter who is in the White House, I doubt if there will be lights on the bike Transit Way that links the Greenway to downtown. I doubt if there will be a stop sign on my corner of Franklin Avenue where traffic has increased like 500% since the 35W bridge disaster. And I have my doubts that the new president will intervene if the Minneapolis Park Board decides to block bike transit ways again to benefit corporate interests. But I do have hope that we can do some things together locally and keep the political energies flowing in positive community-building activities.

I'll be there and it will be my first Drugstore event. Hope to see you there too.

Bonus Links

In Minnesota, a Drug Store Becomes Town Hall : NPR

November Fifth Coalition | Citizens at the Center

Tom's Drugstore: Building on the Energy of Campaign Season

Technorati Tags: politics, community, elections, elections_2008, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Steve Alexander of the Star Tribune reports that US Internet Wireless has more than 10,000 subscribers and is operating at a break-even point. He goes on to say that the number of complaints about the system reaching his e-mail inbox is also reduced, concluding that "the Wi-Fi network seems much improved" although there 5 percent of consumers are unable to get a signal and there are still challenge areas around lakes and parkways.

Congratulations to USIW.

This is great news for the Digital Inclusion Fund as a percentage of the profits will go there.

I bet you thought we were done with the whole Red Bull black cube thing, huh? No such luck.

Being a responsible citizen journalist and all, I decided to tie up some loose strings and give you a link group of articles discussing the Illume installation in Minneapolis. Most of them feel that tying up the bridge, a major bike commuting route, for ten days was not a good idea especially when the photos were only visible for a few hours after sunset.

Highlights of the set include Lisa's post at Corporate Babysitter, the blog for Parents for Ethical Marketing. She notes the direct tie-in to Red Bull in the photos (several athletes are on Red Bull's payroll) and the difficulty in finding out who approved the exhibit in the first place. (Minneapolis has rather opaque governance.) It turns out Red Bull paid $25,000 for a permit to the Minneapolis Park Board.

The Star Tribune even published an editorial by a recent Humphrey graduate as to the folly of the exhibit after initially publishing a press release with no comments.

I should also mention the glowing review of large-scale corporate advertising over here (not sure who publishes this blog) wherein the auther states:

Yes, it’s not art like Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” in Central Park. But for an advertisement on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, it’s really well done. And it just may have expanded my perspective on large scale marketing campaigns. Well done, advertising.

Somehow "Well done, advertising." just doesn't compensate for 10 days of blocked bicycles.

Questions left unanswered:

Was there any discussion with the Park Board as to where to locate the exhibit?

Did Red Bull demand the Stone Arch Bridge location? (Erica Mauter at Metblog points out that Gold Medal Park -- which is down the block from the bridge -- might have been a suitable location.)

Did Park Board Commissioners even know about the permit? (And, did they discuss closing a bike commuter route?)

I plan on emailing this post link to the Park Board. Maybe they have some answers.

Technorati Tags: Minneapolis, Park, Red_Bull, redbull, Illume

The Minneapolis Foundation has released the 2008 Digital Inclusion Fund Request for Proposals. (I am a member of the Digital Inclusion Fund Committee.) Before I get into details, here are the links.

Read the proposal online. I translated it to a Google Doc so it may lose a bit of formatting but the info is there.

Download the RFP and grant application. Right in the middle of the page.

Deadline for Submission: Friday, September 5, 2008

The grants are available to nonprofit (501 (c)(3) ) organizations. There is a total of $200,000 to be given away, same as last year. Grant amounts vary between $5,000 and $30,000.

The purpose of the fund is to:

The Digital Inclusion Fund supports efforts to bridge the digital divide in Minneapolis by providing qualified organizations with financial resources to promote technology access and literacy for low-income people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, displaced workers, seniors, and other new users of technology.

and we are interested in funding projects that address:

1. Affordable internet access;
2. Technology literacy;
3. Local, relevant and accessible content;
4. Adequate, affordable hardware and software tools.

Past grantees can apply but must provide a progress report with specific quantified outcome measures.

US Internet, who is building the Minneapolis Wi-Fi system, gave the money for the Digital Inclusion Fund as part of their contract with the City of Minneapolis.

Send me an email if you have questions: pfhyper AT gmail DOT com.

Further readings:
2007 announcement with some ideas for projects
List of 2007 grant recipients

Technorati Tags: broadband, digital_inclusion, minneapolis, wireless

Update: I just found a couple of other stories on the exhibit that are worth linking. Corporate Babysitter has a somewhat cynical view of the event and raises some interesting questions like who's paying for the electricity. And there's a review over here that sees it as interesting art and I suppose worth the blocking of a major bike artery. (Includes a link to some photos.)

The show begins tomorrow with the giant photo cubes sitting on the Stone Arch Bridge. The Park Board got back to me (read my email here):

Thank you for your email regarding your concern for the Red Bull Illume exhibit on the Stone Arch Bridge. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's (MPRB) involvement with the art exhibit is limited to the permit that has already been issued for the exhibit. The MPRB event permit office receives a variety of requests for permits each year for events to be held within the parks, and they carefully review and consider each one. I believe the Illume art cubes will be placed down the center of the bridge deck, to provide pedestrian traffic on either side. I've copied our event permit coordinator on this email so that he is aware of your concerns.

Looks like they considered pedestrian traffic but forgot that this is a major bike route. It's hard to understand this lack of awareness given that City Hall is shouting from the rooftops what a bike-friendly town we have here.

Besides the whole bike thing, there's also the issue of promoting Red Bull on park property. The Minneapolis Park Board has also been accepting some other advertising money and some city residents don't think it's proper. The Downtown Journal has a story on the issue.

Maybe this will work out OK and the bikes will have enough room to safely cross the bridge. If the cubes are up, I'll see them tomorrow when my morning run takes me across the Stone Arch Bridge. Also watch for a story on the exhibit in the Minnesota Daily. (I'll post the link when it's available.)

Technorati Tags: Minneapolis, Park, Red_Bull, Illume

I wrote about the Red Bull controversy the other day but you can take the shortcut here and read the Minnesota Independent article. It's a money issue of course. Check the Minneapolis Issues threads here and here.

I get that Minneapolis budgets are messed up and we don't have enough money to do all the things we want to do. I still don't believe in shilling for big corporations within our park system and radically changing the bridge experience over a 10-day period. Bike commuters need safe transport across the bridge and I can't see how that will be accomplished by adding 1,600 cubic feet of obstructions.

If you feel like I do, here's the contact list for the Park Board. The email I sent out to the commissioners who listed a contact email address is at the end of this post.

Bonus Links

The Red Bull press release as posted at the Star Tribune site which you can compare with the original. I assume that the Star Tribune understands that by simply regurgitating Red Bull's announcement, they are in fact endorsing it even though there seems to be issues around this decision to take note of.

My Letter

Commissioners and Superintendent:

I just found out about the Red Bull Illume photo cubes that are to be installed on the Stone Arch Bridge on July 10. According to the Minnesota Independent (previously Minnesota Monitor), the Park Board is involved with this project. You can find the article here:
http://minnesotaindependent.com/view/red-bull-photo-cubes

Although I live in Seward Neighborhood, I run on the Stone Arch Bridge regularly. I can't imagine how twenty-five 8-foot cubes will share the bridge with the myriad runners, walkers, and bicyclists that use the bridge each day. I know for bicyclists, this is a major commuter route so it seems short-sighted to clog their path with these cubes. imagine piling these things over on Third Avenue and watching cars, buses, and trucks negotiate a path through them.

I'm aware that there are budget problems but I still can't support corporate advertising that will hijack the bridge experience itself.

I respectfully request that you reconsider and reverse the decision on the Red Bull exhibit. It will do nothing to enhance the Stone Arch Bridge experience for regular bridge patrons.

Thank you.

Peter Fleck
Seward Neighborhood


Technorati Tags: Minneapolis, Parks, Red_Bull, Illume

The Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an editorial today urging the City to accept US Internet's wireless network. "Minneapolis has approached Wi_Fiu with modest expectations and a sound public-private business model."

They kind of make a funny when they mention the "reemergence of leaves" as a problem (they cause interference). Many of us in the City knew that the pesky leaves would be returning and would cause problems for all the radios installed during the leafless winter. It happened last year too.

Editorial: Overcoming hype, Wi-Fi holds promise

According to the article (and confirmed from other sources), there are now about 9,600 subscribers. Friends are asking if they should switch. If you do, realize there may be some configuration time in getting a good signal. Also make sure upfront that you can get all your money back if it just doesn't work. And let pfhyper know about your experiences.

Technorati Tags: USIW, Minneapolis, Wi-fi, municipal