Even when the circuitry is beyond us mere mortals, DIY comes to the rescue In town meetings we use the Internet for a wide variety of uses, from photo walls to display images collected during our WalkShop tours, to brainstorming and voting with our AnyWare suite of tools, to collecting ideas using Google Docs or Google MyMaps at round tables. The latest WiFi cards are making connecting to the Internet possible in places where the Internet normally is not available.
Even when the circuitry is beyond us mere mortals, DIY comes to the rescue
In town meetings we use the Internet for a wide variety of
uses, from photo walls to display images collected during our WalkShop tours, to brainstorming and voting with our
AnyWare suite of tools, to collecting
ideas using Google Docs or Google MyMaps at round tables. The latest WiFi cards are making
connecting to the Internet possible in places where the Internet normally is
not available. The MiFi 2200 for Verizon (click here for a useful review)
card, for example, makes it possible to connect up to 5 computers at 3G speeds
to the internet.
While still dependent of good cell phone reception for the
carrier associated with your card, WiFi cards have saved us on several
occasions. And Do-It-Yourself
(DIY) techniques helped us even in situations where the carrier reception was
existent but very weak.
Last week PlaceMatters helped bring several internet based technologies into a 2 day
charrette for the Rocky Mountain Institute's Living City Block program, we found the Verizon signal on our MiFi
cards to be unacceptably weak, thus slowing down the speed of our AnyWare
tools. The Tattered Cover's tech
guy, Mike (who happens to teach online courses at MIT during his spare time)
showed us how to make a nifty DIY amplifier for our card. He used a 6 inch lid from one of their
gift shop tin cans, cardboard, and tape to boast the signal. A week later, while working in the mountains, I found myself
making another DIY amplifier to make it possible for me to post this blog.
With an aluminum foil casserole dish
from the store, I was able to make a mini dish to amplify the signal. Went from 1 bar to 4 and was able to
stop that perpetual spinning circle that kept showing up in my browser and email, and finally get some work done.
Montana Land Use Reform Overhauls Public Participation Rules
In a bid to streamline housing permits, new state legislation limits public input to the land use planning stage.
The Slow Streets Reckoning
Slow streets programs provided a quick short-term solution and paved the way for some permanent street closures and realignments. Now, these programs are getting a second look as community groups react to the changes.
Pandemic Planning Must Reconcile With the Inequities of the Past
The ongoing debate about the role of marginalized communities in the emergency planning programs of the pandemic has now been detailed on the pages of the New York Times.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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