Just thought I would pass this article along.
Wi-Fi access planned for Mears, Loring parks
Wireless networks would allow outdoor Internet access via =
laptops or handheld computers
BY JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA
Pioneer Press
Dense "clouds" may soon descend upon two of the Twin Cities' =
best-known urban parks =97 not wispy puffs of water vapor, but rather =
swarms of invisible, rapidly moving bits of digital data. And while they =
won't help keep the parks green, they would be a boon for e-mail junkies =
and Web surfers.
"Cloud" is computer-user slang for a wireless Internet =
network. If separate but similar projects unfold as planned, such =
networks will soon envelop downtown St. Paul's Mears Park and downtown =
Minneapolis' Loring Park.
Both networks would rely on a popular kind of computer =
networking known as 802.11b or Wi-Fi, already in use for wireless online =
access in coffeeshops, airports, schools and offices.
The networks allow anyone with a wireless-ready laptop or =
handheld computer to gain high-speed Internet access at little or no =
cost, a grand social experiment already attempted in other outdoor =
public venues such as New York City's tony Bryant Park.
Mears Park likely will be "lit up" first, to use another =
wireless-networking catchphrase. By this week, a transmitter atop a =
Lowertown office building could be blasting bandwidth at the park lawns, =
trails, benches and bandshell just below. Online access will be free.
The Loring Park network, a more ambitious undertaking, =
remains in the planning stages but could be ready by summer, organizers =
say. That network, much larger than the one in Mears Park, would =
potentially be available to thousands of residents, students and =
visitors in the much-trafficked neighborhood.
While free Wi-Fi networks have proliferated in indoor =
gathering spots around the Twin Cities, outdoor networks are much harder =
to find.
That's why Ralph Jenson of Lowertown's VoxNew tech firm =
wants to light up Mears Park, which he can see through his office =
window.
On warm days, he wants to stroll onto the grass with his =
Apple PowerBook so he can work while sunning himself. He wants to offer =
that amenity to other computer users from all walks of life, no strings =
attached, to make the park and neighborhood a more vibrant place.
"I'm not expecting to get anything out of it," says Jenson, =
whose fledgling firm specializes in Internet-based voice services. "I =
just hope it attracts more people to Lowertown."
To spark this influx, Jenson will use Ethernet cabling to =
extend his office network on the top floor of the Railroader Printing =
House building to a Wi-Fi device stashed in a nearby elevator shaft. =
That device will be connected to a transmitter near VoxNew's rooftop =
deck.
Once pointed at the park, the transmitter will provide =
nearly complete Wi-Fi coverage. Jenson hopes to obliterate scattered =
"dead spots" later, with the city of St. Paul's blessing, by installing =
a network-extension device on the park grounds.
In Minneapolis, Leif Utne of the nationally renowned Utne =
magazine is spearheading a community campaign to light up Loring Park =
for reasons not unlike Jenson's.
Utne, the magazine's online managing editor whose offices =
overlook the park, envisions cash-strapped students from the nearby =
Minneapolis Community and Technical College availing themselves of free =
or low-cost bandwidth. He wants to attract others in the Twin Cities who =
crave online access but can't pay stiff monthly fees.
"The location of Loring Park is very interesting in that at =
one end you have the Walker Art Center and at the other, you have MCTC," =
says Alex Huff, head of the Minneapolis-based Blue Turtle =
tech-consulting firm and creator of TCwireless.net, a Twin Cities Wi-Fi =
online directory.
"Bridging (these locations) would create an amazing new =
medium for artists to extend art through the use of technology," says =
Huff, who is helping Utne push for the Loring Park network. "Students =
would be able to use the park for group meetings, studying and social =
purposes."
While Utne and Huff aren't promising the network will be =
erected, they say they've encountered great community enthusiasm for the =
project and, so far, no insurmountable obstacles.
"Theoretically this could happen next week," Utne says. "But =
we need to get some funding in place."
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