Recently the words CLEAR 4G were graffitied into the snow all about Dinkytown in a rather useless street marketing tactic (new snow took it out in a day). Their website Clear.com claims all the super-fast untethered internet you could want from wireless cards you can take anywhere. Clear is of course Clearwire Corporation which acquired Sprint’s WiMAX network in 2008. WiMAX is nothing new, called “Wi-Fi on steroids” it’s Wi-Fi with the power of a cellular tower. Clear’s services are pricey starting at $45 a month not including all the gadgets, start-up fees and taxes.

The ease of using the signal “anywhere” and taking it with you to other cities might sell you on convenience but is WiMAX really worth the price compared to setting up a local connection? Netflix’s official tech blog offers some despairing analysis.

Certainly no one is a fan of Comcast’s monopoly (and less so on Qwest). MPLS residents can’t survive on outdated copper cables into the next decade. It does seem the fastest fast is not very fast and no one can justify the current cost of internet services. Still, any competitors trying to oust the big C would do well to actually excel on performance.

Local musician Jeremy Messersmith will be discussing and performing this Thursday, the 27^th, at Coffman Union’s Whole Music Club as part of the Making Music Series. If you’ve been reading these Wake blogs then you know I’m a fan of Messersmith’s latest album The Reluctant Graveyard. Recently I had the privilege of seeing Messersmith in concert at 89.3 the Current’s Birthday Party at First Ave and can vouch for his live shows. It starts at 8:00 and is free as far as I can tell, definitely worth your Thursday night.

Here is the security cam time lapse of the faithful volunteers who cleared “The Bank” for the (millionaire) Vikings.

And now here is the field today!

Don’t forget Minneapolis has declared another snow emergency starting at 9:00pm tonight, just in time to tow most of the Vikings fans to the impound lot.

The City has instituted a back-to-back snow emergency. Just when you thought three days of plowing weren’t enough, they still need to shove it around. It’s not like it’s going anywhere so all that means is that all the work you did excavating your sidewalk will be for null. Don’t worry, windchills below 0 will accompany your poorly manufactured hand shovel this time. Mayor Rybak puts a face on the City, who basically blames lazy people who haven’t unburied their cars. Snow Emergency Part Deux starts at 9pm tonight.

Meanwhile in stadium-land, Chris Erskine of the LA Times gives a damning commentary on the symbolism of our doomed dome.

The wreckage at the overripe architectural monstrosity, caused by too much snow, could only have been a message from God, and the message is, ‘Tear down this stadium!’ How much clearer does He need to be?

His constant reference to the implosion happening on a Sunday sabbath beguiles me–Hannukah was last week buddy! You really think we were sitting around eating latkes waiting for the #snowpocalypse to take down an outdated sports venue that smelled of grease oil.

In honesty, the Dome was never an economic boon for Minneapolis, all the associated retail never materialized. Its plain garbage facility looking design has always been a visual and physical barrier in an conundrum of highways spliced through diagonal streets. The residents at Cedar Riverside got the short end of most of this. As splendid as the aerials might be on our skyline, the Dome is brother to our shameful urban renewal history, the last economic development hurrah in a failed City Council experiment to rejuvenate a still asleep downtown.

Dreams deflated into a sea of white.

It’s no surprise in the MPLS that things collapse often and with great gusto. Why take the I-35W Bridge collapse in 2007 that happened a mere 5 blocks from Wake Headquarters. Even then, the magic of CCTV allowed us to see the collapse in real time action. Today’s Metrodome collapse isn’t unique, the roof was allowed to deflate during heavy snow a few times even in my childhood though to minor proportions without any tears. Unfortunately this time around, it was if the heavens were parting and the beauty of real-time HD cameras with crisp directional boom mics were there to capture it. Flickr also has some fabulous photos of the aftermath.

The Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee has some advice on bicycling in winter. I can agree with most of this except that studded tires is probably necessary.

In Minneapolis, many bicyclists embrace the winter months by continuing to ride. If you are already biking, or considering winter biking, here are some tips for dealing with the snow, cold temperatures, and motorists:

· Travel slowly when snow and ice are present. Riding a bike on a street can be challenging, particularly when ice has formed or snow has become lumpy and compacted by vehicles. Ride in bare patches of pavement or non-compacted snow when possible. Take turns and curves at a slower speed, and allow longer distances for braking. Be sure to plan ahead for extra travel time. And remember that cyclists have the right to ride in a general traffic lane, which (among other instances) may be necessary if bike lanes have not been cleared.

· Ride defensively around motorists. Cyclists are less visible in the winter (with fewer cyclists riding and less daylight), and roads are more narrow (when snow banks creep into the street from curbs). Always be prepared for motorists to make a mistake. Follow traffic laws and be as considerate as possible. Educate yourself and your friends (motorists and bicyclists alike!) on traffic laws and safety.

· Take the off-street trails. Since Minneapolis has so many miles of trails (84 miles and counting!), urbanites from across the country often suffer from “trail envy.” To top it all off, the Park Board and Public Works Department have policies of clearing snow from off-street trails soon after the end of a snowfall (read more about how the Midtown Greenway and Hiawatha Light Rail Trail are plowed). In most cases, this occurs in less than 24 hours. If you have the choice, leave the grime and compacted snow of the streets behind and head for the trails!

· Stay visible. Riding in the winter months means more darkness. Brighten your ride by using headlights, taillights, and reflective clothing and gear. Legally, cyclists are required to ride with a white, front headlight and rear, red reflector at night.

· Use an old bike in good working condition. Salt and sand can wreak havoc on your treasured bicycle, resulting in rust and breakdowns. Use an older but functional bicycle in the winter months. Two elements of a well functioning winter bike include effective brakes and a well greased chain (wet lube is ideal for snowy conditions). Wider tires with good traction are also essential. Add a pair of fenders to your bicycle to keep street muck from landing on your clothing. The Midtown Bike Center has a bike washing facility which can be used to clean off your bike for $3.

· Dress in layers. Just like other winter sports, bicycling can heat up your body rapidly. Apply layers to your torso and legs, and be prepared to strip them away as your body warms. A good rule of thumb is that you should feel chilly when you step outdoors – if you’re cozy before you start riding, you’ll likely be boiling when you stop.

· Cover your extremities. All of us have experienced the extremes of a sweating torso and numb ears or toes. Don’t ignore your head, neck, hands, and feet when you bike. Comfortable stocking caps, scarves, socks, and gloves (which allow dexterity) should be considered. And goggles don’t just look cool; they’re great eye protection from the cold wind and road grit.

· Use 311. If you see a bicycle-related problem which involves plowing, shoveling, signing, or another traffic concern, call 311. The City relies on the public to flag problems. If you live outside of Minneapolis, call 612-673-3000. A Minneapolis bikeway maintenance responsibility list is available for more direct call routing.

· Use transit. When the going gets tough, give yourself a warm break by using the bus or train. All Metro Transit buses and trains are equipped with bicycle racks. Bike commuters are also eligible to sign up for Metro Transit’s Guaranteed Ride Home program, which provides free transit rides or cab fare reimbursement for emergencies (like a snow or ice storm).

· Look for more information. This is hardly the final say on winter bicycling. Any winter cyclist on Minneapolis streets probably has some good ideas, so go ahead and ask around. If you want to read on, visit www.icebike.org.

· Embrace winter. Our identity is shaped by our weather. Snow and cold temperatures add diversity and beauty to Minneapolis. Riding a bicycle in the winter can be exhilarating and practical. It keeps you in good health, it’s good for the environment, it’s cheap, and at times, it’s even the fastest mode of travel.

Live Google traffic reveals a fantastic view of metro traffic when it snows!

Metro traffic

And this just in:

@TwinCityScene: Via @Webster — Coworker reported freeway sign says: “I-94…. OVER 99 MINUTES.”

The epic-recession and social-collapse meme is big these days; from the Tea Party to apocalyptic movies, a sense of end-of-the-world urgency and populist anger permeates America. So what’s a humble advertising professional to do? If people think the whole damn system is a sham and it’s falling apart, how do advertisers sell them shit? Why, the same way they always have; by exploiting people’s beliefs.

All ads are based on propaganda and psychological manipulation techniques, but the latest round of “recession advertising” is especially genius. A billboard over I-35W for the Mall of America reads “the recession looks better in a new outfit”; a cigarette advert at a gas station prominently displays the words “you deserve a bailout too!” over a pictured pack of cigarettes, one coffin nail protruding invitingly.

The mall ad encourages the sort of mindset that got Americans into this mess in the first place: ignore the problems of the world, keep buying shit, and everything will be okay; shopping makes everything better; there are no consequences for consumption! The cigarette ad appeals to our sense of entitlement, which caused us, as individuals and a country, to take on piles of debt to perpetuate a lifestyle we couldn’t afford.

George Orwell couldn’t have devised a darker irony: corporations are trying to harness the anger and frustration at the unfolding slow-motion-train-wreck collapse of consumer culture to convince people to consume more. But the American consumer will tolerate any logical inconsistency, as long as it authorizes him or her to head to the mall and buy that new outfit.

Last week my trip through the mall was interrupted by the bellowing babble of a new breed of bible regurgitators. You may have seen these guys before. They were perched atop the Northrop Plaza facing outwards, sending their words out into the mall. With clean, glistening bald heads, sunglasses hiding their eyes, and snazzy corporate-esque workweek attire, they were armed only with their words.

Now standard protocol for this type of situation is to crank up Steve Miller Band on my iPod and let the “do do doo doo’s” of “Fly Like an Eagle” drown out the intruding words. But this time I decided to pop out my headphones, slow my pace, and absorb a snippet of their speech as I strolled by. I was immediately struck by their dialect. Though not quoting the bible directly, the diction and sentence structure sounded as if it came directly from one of the gospels. I felt as if I had been blasted by an overwhelming amount of salvation references: “And you shall be saved by the Lord our God”; “Our redeeming savior will come again.” The frequency of these references to the idea of being “saved” implied that these clean-cut preachers were here to rescue the lost, wandering souls of U of M students.

More eerie than their words was the manner in which they were delivered. By perching atop the Northrop plaza the men propped themselves up above the college students to whom they were speaking. The condescending tone of their words was physically represented in the situational context of their delivery. These mislead prophets only served to build up the religious barriers that separate us as humans.

There’s a long line of cars stretching all the way down and around the brownstones on University and Tenth. Many of these cars have been festooned with a variety of streamers, banners, glitter, paper mache animals, or swaying college students. Two blocks behind me is what appears to be a giant model of a mouse is heading up a flatbed truck packed to the brim with dancing coeds. Top 40 radio blares somewhere in the deep recesses of the mouse, giving it the bizarre illusion of speech. In front of them is a U of M mobility bus with a decidedly older and more responsible cadre of revelers. In front of us a squad of twenty or so students on NiceRide bikes do slow circles while we wait for the action to begin. The parade marshals seem mildly confused and wander haphazardly giving instructions to move forward and fill up gaps. Somehow we manage to fall in at the proper place between floats number 65 and 67. Our float begins it’s slow, jerking roll into the parade proper after a bit of finagling for position. Our driver’s more than a bit miffed that some of our float’s walk-behind crew ended up walking directly in front of the float, causing some hasty braking. But there’s no time for that, we’re off and quickly subsumed by the surprising amount of adoration from our school’s student body. The level of genuine excitement and spirit showed by the families and students of the University was so strong that even this cynical journalist managed to get swept up in it. A couple of scary moments where our precious speakers shut down in the middle of the parade threatened to derail the festivities but a little bit of Homecoming magic and cord jiggling got us all the way to the end of the concourse. As someone who can’t even be bothered to check the Gopher’s score online most weekends, it was a fascinating experience to take a journey into the beating, maroon and gold bleeding heart of our college. And you know what? I kind of liked it.