So, do you think the cops who recovered the Munch paintings split the two million M&Ms amongst themselves?

I’d write more, but I’m still digesting Fair food and all that lard seeping into my bloodstream is making me sleepy.  More soon.

Minneapolis has selected local company US Internet to build the city’s wireless network.  A City Council vote to finalize the deal is expected on Friday.  It looks like Minneapolis residents will be able to access the 1mbps network for about $20/month.  Some residents might need to purchase a special “wireless” modem to boost their signal for cost of $75 or a rental fee of $5/month.  For the sake of comparison, Qwest offers 256 Kbps DSL (about 25% of the speed of the proposed wireless network) for $27.  Needless to say, Qwest is not happy with news that it will have to compete with a municipal network. 

Some of you may remember that I served on a digital inclusion task force to develop recommendations for the “community benefits” portion of the contract.  It appears that USI accepted most of them (you can read the Task Force’s report here).  Prices for consumers and businesses will be fixed for a decade.  I am disappointed that no free option is available for low-income residents, but USI did agree to provide a free “walled garden” that contains access to basic municipal and neighborhood information.  Additionally, USI will contribute $500,000 to the startup of a Minneapolis Digital Inclusion Fund and it will contribute an annual percentage of its profits to the Fund.

Let’s hope the network functions as promised and that it will provide a real alternative to the Qwest/Comcast duopoly.  The community benefits portion of the contract is truly innovative and other cities would be well served to use it as a model if they choose to contract with a private vendor for their own municipal WiFi.

The concept behind the latest iteration of the Survivor series–segregating contestants on the basis of race–is one of the most repugnant ratings stunts in the history of mass media.  Unfortunately, the show’s producers are merely capitalizing on a disturbingly ominous cultural trend: it’s acceptable to be a racist again, at least in the former CSA.  For your consideration:

• Virginia Senator George Allen’s bone-headed “macaca” remark directed at S.R. Sidarth, a Democratic operative who happened to be of Indian descent
• Tramm Hudson, a Florida congressional candidate, commenting that “blacks are not the greatest swimmers.”
• A Baptist church in Mississippi that voted out a 12-year-boy who happened to be biracial because church leaders did not want his black relatives attending with him
• A white bus driver in Lousiana forcing black children to the back of the bus to make room for white students. 

In the opinion of this liberal Northerner, we ended Reconstruction much too early.  Of course, racist tendencies are not exclusive to the South and all of these incidents were quickly condemned in local media.  But it’s so dismaying to see this kind of behavior nearly forty years after the peak of the civil rights movement.  It makes me wonder if this current wave of bigotry is simply a continuation of our long and dismal xenophobic history or if it’s being provoked by other factors such as economic uncertainty or post-9/11 fear of the Other. 

Whatever the reason, let’s hope low ratings force CBS to make this season of Survivor the last.  Hell, maybe the bad publicity will be sufficient to kill off the entire misbegotten genre of reality television.  Except Amazing Race.  That show is kind of cool.

Amazingly, the storm clouds broke up just as I arrived at the fairgrounds last night and, aside from being slightly cool and windy, the rest of the evening was pleasant enough.  This was my first concert at the grandstand and I was quite pleased with my seat and unobstructed view of the stage.  While I know many people are passionate Sonic Youth fans, their particular brand of distorted jam play leaves me cold and none of their songs stuck in my head. 

The Lips put on a riotous show that included dancing guys in Santa Claus outfits, dancing girls in retro sci-fi miniskirts, colored paper streamers, giant beach balls, and other whimsical props.  Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, had an easy rapport with the audience and was quick to thank all of the stagehands who worked frantically to get everything set up once the skies cleared.  Let’s hope the Fair’s organizers now realize that there is an audience for acts other than Brooks & Dunn and are able to book another band of equal caliber next year. 

A new high-rise condominium development is going up on the block adjacent to my workplace, The sales website promises “five-star amenities” and generally makes the building sound like the closest thing to a yuppified heaven on Earth.  I like the notion of a thirty-second commute to work, but any inclination I had to make a serious inquiry about the availability of units was quickly disspelled when I realized one thing with jarring clarity–I would have to live in downtown St. Paul.  The last time I found myself in downtown St. Paul at night, I nearly died from a sense of unbearable loneliness.  A bramble of tumbleweed drifted through an intersection as my desperate cries for human companionship echoed among the deserted office buildings. 

Now, I certainly intend no offense to my many friends who call St. Paul home.  Many areas of the city are quite lovely.  However, I think I’ll remain a Minneapolitan for the time being and admire your fair environs from afar.