I am simply amazed. 1) Rep. Kahn is still trying to pimp WiFi in the parks and public spaces. I already have wireless internet with me everywhere I go: it's a $3/mo service add-on to my cell phone. The best part is I need no big heavy $1000+ laptop to use it. Of course, as a cell phone add-on it's somewhat limited, but I could have very well written this email using it, so it's not just a toy feature.
I'm pretty sure I'm a bigger geek than Rep. Kahn. Even so, I strongly disagree that one red cent of Minneapolis tax-payer money should go to providing wireless internet access free of charge in Minneapolis' public spaces. We're laying off schoolteachers and cops for cripe's sake! Half of our kids don't graduate, now how the heck are they supposed to able to be out buying laptop computers, wireless network cards, and all that on minimal wage service industry jobs. I'll tell you what: if I showed up at the park nearest my house trying to play on an expensive laptop computer I'd spend most of my time worrying that someone was going to come over and laptopjack me... either that or they'd see me as an easy panhandling mark, considering the park's proximity to a liquor store. If Minneapolis and Minnesota want to be techno-progressive, now is the time for us to take a public stand in favor of Free Software (that's free as in free speech, not as in free internet access in the parks-- see www.gnu.org for much more information and www.debian.org for an entire operating system made of Free Software). The savings on license expenses alone have the potential to make up for Brookfield's loan defaults (did they ever pay up, btw?). I don't see any reason why the City of Minneapolis couldn't simply offer the "node" rights to a private firm or even a set of firms to provide wireless access for a fee. Barring that, many cell phone companies offer data services. I think there aren't many in this area, which kind of tells you that maybe there isn't as much interest in it here. How about this vision I'm having of more people driving around yakking on a cell phone in one hand, coffee mug in the other, pistol under the seat, laptop propped against the steering wheel, now they'll be able to what, surf porn, while waiting in rush hour traffic or road construction? Will they instant message the finger to the guy who just cut them off? 2) Target and BigBrotherCam. Wow! In the city of Minneapolis the police have been known to interfere with the right of citizens to photograph and document police activity. I think before the police get more cameras, us regular folks should be allowed to use our own. And so Target, who can't afford to keep their crummy North Side branch open, can afford to donate surveillance equipment for the purposes of trying to make downtown Minneapolis competitive with the Maul of America? *boggle* I like the ideas of Steve Mann and his use of wearable computers to "Shoot Back" (see http://wearcam.org/shootingback.html)... and I hate to say it, but Mann's cyborg projects would definitely benefit from public wireless access. It's not that I have my dander up over my right to walk around downtown unobserved-- more like, why should the few watch the many when things would be so much more interesting if we empowered the many to watch whatever they felt like they should watch? If there are cameras downtown (and there's already so many I'm surprised to hear we need more), I at least want to watch too! I certainly hope we'll be seeing a web cam site for these things, I suggest the URL: http://www.bigbrotheriswatching.ci.minneapolis.mn.us. :) -Michael Libby, Cleveland neighborhood. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
