Sunday Parkways events this summer, starting May 12th

[Russell Senior]

At the weekly meeting this evening, it was proposed that Personal
Telco participate in the Sunday Parkways events this summer. There
are four events, as indicated here:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/58929

The first of these is May 12th (then roughly monthly thereafter). The
basic idea would be to construct a mobile hotspot in a bike trailer,
and drag it around the courses, hanging out at some of the park-stops
for a while. I've got a battery pack that would power a Clear modem
and access point. We'd just need a little signage to make it clear
who we are to facilitate the outreach.

Is anyone interested in participating in this? Please respond here
and we can form a group to make it happen.


--
Russell Senior, President
rus...@personaltelco.net

[Matthew Klug]

Yes.  I have the leg power and appropriate bicycle for this mission.

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[ted brunner]

I'm interested, but will be in Baltimore on May 12th. I'll likely be
around for the others.

I have cancelled my Clear account ($50/month) but still have the stick.
Theoretically one can turn them on and off monthly or other short term.
In my experience, Clear's phone support is slow and painful.

I have an Alix which could be an access point. It takes 12V.

Sam now has the portable solar panel and 12V battery setup.

ted

[Jason Bergstrom]

And I can help with signage (depending on what you had in mind)
or other items, but I'll be out of town for the last two dates.

Jason,
ber...@bergie.net

[Russell Senior]

I am going to be occupied on May 12, but can help put the hardware together before hand. I have a battery pack that will power both the access point and the clear modem for about 3 days.  I'm sure I can put together an AP from the basement.  Does anyone have a beater bike trailer we could use, or do I haul out mine (which is a still-in-pretty-decent-shape Burley)?

Jason, I'm thinking that maybe we do two of the smaller-sized things you brought last night and laminate them back-to-back and put some grommets in the corners and turn it into a "flag".  You think that could work?

[Sam Churchill]

I have a portable 400 watt powerpack/inverter with 12V output plus solar panels and a Clear USB dongle that plugs into a battery powered Cradlepoint. You can also buy a new Clearwire desktop modem for  $50 with WiFi but it's a 12v desktop model and can't run PTP software. Seems easy enough.

I can bring that. But it would be interesting to offer some kind of WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity app that does something cool. Here's my SlideShare presentation at BarCamp:

http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/20420582

Here's a picture of my WiFi bike from 2005.
http://www.dailywireless.org/2005/07/26/cheap-long-shots/

Other related links:

http://www.dailywireless.org/2009/09/28/solarbrella-powers-laptops/
http://www.dailywireless.org/2012/06/25/bluetooth-bike-and-fitness-sensors-get-smart/
http://www.dailywireless.org/2011/08/17/bike-sharing-with-rf-id/

- Sam

On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 10:25 AM, Jason Bergstrom <ber...@bergie.net> wrote:

[Sam Churchill]

I have a beater bike trailer you could use.

- Sam

[Sam Churchill]

How about a QR coded tour of the bikeways. You could download a Word formated version from the Hotspot. Here's my version of the Streetcar Tour.

http://pdxstreetcar.wordpress.com/about/

[Russell Senior]

We still (I think) have some tri-fold propaganda sheets from past oscon boothing that could be handed out to the curious. If not we could print more.

Next question is, do we need a "vendor" permit?

[Matthew Klug]

I was interested in just riding my bike with the Burley trailer and modem, router, battery, etc.  Signage, and literature.  
To be a sponsor at the various stops along the way will probably cost some money?, but I can't imagine that cost is prohibitive.  We are a non-profit, and will be providing a "service" of sorts ..
The Sunday Parkways Event promoters pay people to lead yoga, dancing, hula hooping, etc. for the kids?  Maybe we can swing a deal to get into brochures and promotional materials, for a nominal to No-charge$.

I will ask my hula hoop friends who their contact is???

[Sam Churchill]

Here is my Wordpress site for Sunday Parkways. It uses responsive design so it looks good on phones, tablets and desktop. Exporting to a Word document is not ideal, of course, but it is universal. A better option would be a mobi file so it can be read on a Kindle App. The best option is to port it to something like PhoneGap which can use a phone's  GPS and camera. As a hybrid web app, it can be uploaded to Apple and Google app stores. Or you could have the Android app on the splash page.

I'll work on it this weekend. If PTP doesn't want to participate that's okay, too.

- Sam

[Sam Churchill]

http://sundayparkways.wordpress.com/

[Jason Bergstrom]

Yes, I will assemble a couple of sets of flags.

Jason,
ber...@bergie.net

[Matthew Klug]

City Form: costs and details for an "area" (10X10), (10X19), such as a tent???  
What if we just have signs on all of our bikes, and a few people and signs at the stops?  Create and Make more than one wi-fi/ a.p. unit.  I have saddle bags that would work for mine.  Use the Burley for somebody else.  So, ...
Simply giving-out information?  Would we really be a vendor?

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/386586

[Russell Senior]

>>>>> "Matthew" == Matthew Klug <klugm...@gmail.com> writes:

Matthew> City Form: costs and details for an "area" (10X10),
Matthew> (10X19), such as a tent??? What if we just have signs on all
Matthew> of our bikes, and a few people and signs at the stops?
Matthew> Create and Make more than one wi-fi/ a.p. unit. I have
Matthew> saddle bags that would work for mine.

Remember the batteries. They are heavy/rigid/breakable (I know, i
cracked the case on one once that was riding in the milk crate on my
bike, and evil lead-acid gel started to leak out, ee-ooo!).

Matthew> So, ... Simply giving-out information? Would we really be a
Matthew> vendor?

I don't think so, but I'm planning to inquire. I'll let you know what
I hear back.

[Sam Churchill]

Hello Linda:

I am making a mobile guide to Sunday Parkways, which you can see here (http://sundayparkwayseast.wordpress.com/).

I have just begun to work on this project. PersonalTelco, of which I am a member, was asked to provide mobile hotspots for Sunday Parkways. I thought it would be nice to create something that people could download to their phones and tablets.

This ad-free guide is intended to enhance the Sunday Parkways experience.

The website (using Wordpress.com), automatically scales to fit different devices, including phones, tablets, and desktops. I expect to also make a Microsoft Word version that can also be downloaded free and used locally on a phone or tablet without an internet connection. Hopefully a .mobi file will provide compatibility with Kindle players.

This mobile guide is based on the free Portland Streetcar Guide I created for the opening of the Eastside Portland Streetcar last September. (http://pdxstreetcar.wordpress.com)

The Streetcar Guide was promoted by Mayor Sam Adams on his blog and mentioned in the Oregonian as well as other places such as Portlandafoot.org.

Here's what I would like to know:

(1) What information should I include?
(2) Can I place a dozen or so temporary QR codes along the route?. The QR codes would automatically link  to a website page.
(3) Is this okay with the Bureau of Transportation?

I am doing this project to hone my skills at making self-guided tours. But I don't know about the history of the area or current activities along the route.

Can you suggest a dozen or so points along the route that cry out for more explanation?

I'm looking for a subject matter expert who knows the route, to plot content. If I could a get a dozen points of interest with a paragraph on each one, that would be great! They would get credit, of course.

I'd like to get the bulk of the content development done this weekend, if possible. It should be lots of fun.

Thanks for your time.

Sam Churchill
815 NW Naito Parkway, Apt 506
(503) 228-6459

My Blog Sites:

1. Portland Streetcar Tour
(http://pdxstreetcar.wordpress.com/)
2. Oregon Green Energy Guide
(http://portlandgreenenergy.wordpress.com/)
3. 95 Years in 95 Pages
(http://dorothychurchill.wordpress.com/)
4. Portland Sunday Parkways Bike Guide
(http://sundayparkwayseast.wordpress.com/)
5. Dailywireless.org
(www.Dailywireless.org)

[Russell Senior]

>>>>> "Russell" == Russell Senior <rus...@personaltelco.net> writes:

Russell> We still (I think) have some tri-fold propaganda sheets
Russell> from past oscon boothing that could be handed out to the
Russell> curious. If not we could print more.

Russell> Next question is, do we need a "vendor" permit?

The word I get from the City is that they think we do need a permit:

My query:

Ronna,

The Personal Telco Project is a volunteer-driven non-profit in
Portland that helps people share their internet connections and acts
generally as an advocate for communications freedom. Some
members/volunteers have suggested that we try to participate in Sunday
Parkways this summer (including the kickoff on May 12).

The general idea is to outfit a bike and/or bike trailer as a mobile
wifi hotspot. We'd have a flag or some signage on the bike/trailer
and we might have some brochures to hand out to people who inquire at
rest stops. We don't need a tent and we won't be selling anything.
Do we need to "register" or pay a vendor fee to participate in this
way?

Thanks for your clarification!

The response this morning:

Russell -

Thanks for your interest in Sunday Parkways. Yes, Personal Telco
would need to pay the $125 vendor fee. We don't have any vendor
spaces left for the East event on May 12th. Personal Telco's mobile
wifi spot would need to register as a mobile vendor (see attached
form).

Really dig the mobile wifi spot concept.

Ronna Seavey
503 823-4414


That fee would be per-event, afaict. Maybe I made a mistake by asking
the vendor registration lady whether we needed to register as a
vendor. I am writing for more clarification. People still interested?

[Sam Churchill]

I'm still interested. If I'm not mistaken, people can walk (or drive) around with a mobile hotspot. Guerilla Ops!

[Matthew Klug]

I call B.S. 

This is a community event as advertised.  In the literature, it specifically mentions everyone is welcome.  In past events, political campaigns used signage on teams of bicycles.  Amanda Fritz, Mary Nolan, standing out on street corners shaking hands.  Tons of signs, t-shirt wearing campaign volunteers.  I see this as no different.  We are simply providing information, and an internet connection.  I might do it without signage, if they decide to shut-us-down.  

There is also a street team of people with a mobile sound-system in a Burley trailer.  They provide "radio"  (pre-recorded music) ... 

We are no different.  802.11 radio.  
We are not recruiting.  We are "an example of community."

Appeal to Amanda and Nick Fish (who participates)

Is it a city sponsored event?  Or is this a corporate sponsorship drive?

On Mon, May 6, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Russell Senior <rus...@personaltelco.net> wrote:

[Matthew Klug]

In fact Charlie himself rode his bike around with his lawn signs attached to his bike.  

Appeal to councilors, each and every one.

[Russell Senior]

For giggles, here is my correspondance with the City Bureau of
Transportation regarding our riding in the Sunday Parkways events:

https://docs.google.com/a/personaltelco.net/document/d/1Na5sT_7zZXZUB0hUTAVKnUPlGvEYpqerXlMSiZPYmwY/pub

Matt managed to ride without any interference in the May 12th event,
and I expect that we can do so again in the subsequent events. I
understand that the City has budget problems, so it's kind of natural
to have the knee jerk reaction that they did, I just wish they had
been able to answer the question that I kept asking over and over.
Anyway, no need to get worked up about it again, I've just been
meaning to share this and found the opportunity to now. Enjoy!