from memory i am trying to compile two lists of things that are relevant to a visitor to Minneapolis. one is a list for 'internet' related things, electromagnetic culture, if you will. the other, other things... ________________________________________________________ 1: 'internet-related'/elecromagnetic-culture list ________________________________________________________ the Bakken A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life. http://www.bakkenmuseum.org/ (location, phone, hours) founded by the inventor of the (EM) pacemaker has a museum of electrical artifacts, including a theremin instrument, electric eel, and other things. by Lake Calhoun in south mpls... (on the west side) --- Ford Lock & Dam on the mississipi river, around the bend from the U of MN, is a great (architectural) dam that has a unique observation deck, outdoors, and is almost park-like. one can go up above the dam and see it from a walk way, or get up next to the low rise dam and hear the water roar, with plants and tranquility (if it is open at these unpredictable times). else, one can see it from the parking lot, or the Ford Bridge above. the Ford Factory is up across the river, opposite the visitor area, and makes light-duty trucks. for those unfamiliar with why this is internet-related, this dam provides hydropower via putting falling water through turbines, rotating generators of magnetics, to produce electrical current, which is sent to the city dwellers to power up their home computers to surf. it is likely this dam is under security guard right now. (Aldous Huxley's Brave New World has immense irony here) http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/mnparks/parks/Ford118.html http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/1/ --- Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls, Dams these dams work together, and there is an 'old stone bridge' that was renovated i believe which is now accessible via walkway, that allows one to oversee the whole immense complex of the dams. there is a visitor platform, inside which has info and one can look into the locks, and also tours, possibly. one thing about this place is that it had an island, i forget, i think it was destroyed, that was sacred to the Native Americans whom lived here prior to the city's founding. this dam is, as far as i remember, related to the flour industry, and the growth of the urban area and the wealth of the city, via the Mississipi River. also, it seens that the industrial archaeologists at the U of MN have done some work on this area (link 2), and may have more information to provide... (location is right in downtown minneapolis area) [of note is that there is a park on the far side of the dam/river, which has a nice water-level access to the area. sometimes people fish or whatnot there, so it is advised to visit in groups, but is a nice retreat, as i remember] [so too, there is a greatly unique transmission tower, high voltage, besides the paperclip-like fiberglass ones, which arcs in form much like a giant sculpture. it is where the cultural/art/humanities aspects of the e-infrastructure can be seen via e-aesthetics) http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/model/stanthony.html (info) http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/mnparks/parks/st105.html http://www1.umn.edu/marp/dig/site3.html (background) http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/up_st_an/ http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/lo_st_an/ http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/1916/anthony.html (photos) --- Supercomputing Center nearby the St. Anthony Falls, proximity to U of MN west-bank. in 1994 or so i asked for a tour but they didn't have them then i think. there may be nothing to see, i don't know. but it might be worth checking out. probably would need to send an e-mail to see if tours are available and for scheduling\ in advance, if they have them. [from my understanding this was one of the initial internet backbones, in the days of 'gopher', which is/was an internet protocol for accessing content online, in a file/folder paradigm. when there was no graphical web (then came Mosaic..). 'gopher' by the way, is a name used by the U of MN sports teams, as a mascot...] http://web.msi.umn.edu/ [note: there is also the U of MN Geometry Center which has had an impressive web presence for a long time, but today i cannot access their url. they may have something locally to demonstrate or tour... http://www.geom.umn.edu/ ] --- Science Museum of Minnesota i think there is a new building for this museum, but as i remember it, it was worth visiting more than once, as i think it had natural and other sciences together, and must have some electronic aspect today.... it seems it may have (co-)developed from the work done at the San Francisco Exploratorium center, interactive exhibits to learn about scientific concepts, but i am not sure... http://www.smm.org/ --- Walker Art Center, Sculpture Garden and Museum outside, on the edge of downtown, a great sculpture park for large scale work, and smaller rooms made by landscaping for collections of different works. a greenhouse with a carp fish by Frank Gehry. for years, in the museum itself, they had a claus oldenburg softsculpture of an electrical socket or plug hanging above the interior atrium/entrance. also, they still may have part of a Jenny Holzer electronic sculpture which was so intense, when it was several works. also, some work by artists using fluorescent lights, and now, i'm sure, digital technology by the dumptruck load. used to be a great museum, but when i last visited they had a horrendous exhibit with VR goggls and whatnot that seemedmore about the technology than the ideas, the ebb and flow of art (and related influences, such as money). also, well known online, is Steven Dietz's digital art curating, and might be well worth a looksee as maybe they have an offline collection to browse as well... http://www.walkerart.org/ ________________________________________________________ 2: other things to experience in MPLS list ________________________________________________________ the Minnehaha Falls and Path to the Mississippi River follow a trail to see the Minnehaha creek fall into a torrent of sound and white water some 30 feet below, and eventually gently meld into the Mississippi river about 1/2 mile below the top fo the falls. if you go, make sure to take the walk, via trails, from the bottom of the falls to the river. recommend travelling with others. then, you will come out onto a view of the Mississippi River, almost as if nothing else were around. a large green space (i hope still) is across the river's waters, flowing smoothly by, and one can stand on the shore, sand and rocks, and contemplate civilization, as they see the Ford dam to the left, as the Ford bridge. greatest is seeing a barge and tug come through the locks, quite impressive. http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/11357167/ (info) http://www.seniornet-mpls.org/slides/slide3.html (photo) http://www.d.umn.edu/tma/MungerSite/Pages/ID154.html (painting) --- the Lakes, memorial garden to the Nuclear Bombing south Minneapolis, but everywhere. lake harriet, calhoun, and lake of the isles (and brown lake or something such towards downtown, and also, hidden lake, too, i think) are where people go to get away and walk and talk and do things. earlier it was the locals, but in later years people from all over would come to drive and walk around the lakes. not sure what they are like now in this regard, but worth seeing (isles is nice. harriet has a great rosegarden/fountain, and a memorial to the WWII nuclear bombing in a Japanese garden. it is one of the most impressive landscapes i have experienced, in its conveyence of peace. also, a bird sanctuary is a few steps away). also, there is an electric trolley that transits between lakes harriet and calhoun, on the west side by the bandshell, should anyone be interested in riding the electric streetcars that used to be the transit infrastructure for the city. worth the nostalgia and going through some trees. peaceful. http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/streetcar_boarding_5-14-00.html -- the Minnehaha Parkway between Lake Harriet (southermost in the chain of city lakes) and the Mississippi river runs the Minnehaha creek (or crik, as i grew up calling it). suggested, if one wants to enjoy a great landscape, is to walk from the Crik around Penn Street and 54th, for several miles. all the way to the Falls and the Missippi, but that would take a while walking. there are some beautiful old bridges of concrete and metal and wood, and a nature inside the city that still has a sense of wilderness that many who live in the area cherish, protect, and are very proud of. there are bike and walking trails, and then, other trails of dirt on the other side of the crik which one can go up and down along the crik on, when one finds a little dirt trail. truly beautiful.... --- Fort Snelling, park below Fort Snelling is an early fort which protected the area for development however many years ago. it has the fort, and reenactments sometimes, i believe, or tours with actors, i am not sure. once there were settlers and indians' tents pitched. there is a small gift shop inside i think, or musuem even, i forget. but below is an expansive park on the Mississippi River, and it is awe inspiring to get near the water, if one can. i remember cattails all over last time i was there, in the bogs. lots of trails to walk and bike. few people. can get away from the noise a bit and enjoy the land... there may be a new bridge there now, so it may be noisy, but it is nearby the mall of america, but a totally different experience of the local environment, given local culture. --- notes: heard of good food places south of lakestreet in south minneapolis, Nicollet Ave area, where there are many different cultures and foods... there is a Native American Museum on Franklin Ave or nearby, which is well-worth a visit. they have a gallery and also artifacts of Native Americans in US pop culture. [could not find URL, but is in the Phillips neighborhood] Minneapolis Institute of Arts- the best general museum i have been in, an extrordinary collection of artifacts from ancient to everyday. and still think it is free. it is an immense collection. well worth seeing if you enjoy great museums... Gehry Museum/Weisman Art Museum, U of MN. okay museum, small, and have not seen many shows there. but it is a 'postcard museum' by a world-famous architect, contracted out by the University to make a world-class museum. and it is, in appearance. stunning at sunset, across the bridge connecting the University's east and west banks. but, if the drama of the outside metal curves moves you, note the experience inside, which has some of it going on above, but on the floor one remains unaffected by all the facadal aestheticizing of architectural images. still, worth seeing from the outside, and learning about why architecture is not just about beautiful buildings by experiencing the space and light, inside. IDS tower: not sure, i think they yanked it, but this, one of the first skyscrapers of its kind, by Philip Johnson, architect, i believe, used to have a UFO exhibit on the top floor. that went away with the unique weirdness of the people in this land of lakes, but if you say 'weather ball' to many there, they will call you their own.... (there used to be a weather ball on a building which would light up in different colors, given the forecast for the city, 'when the weather ball is green... when the weather ball is blue... etc'.)... many think about the movie "Fargo" about minneapolitan culture. accurate in its vernacular to some extent, but this is also home to some of the oldest computer works in the country... such as Unisys, Control Data Corp & also Cray Computers, (maybe that was in wisconsin). and others, too. including Honeywell (electronics) and other major EM research and development co's, like 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing). in any case, some ideas for the visitor.... hope you enjoy your time in the area and get to see some of the unique aspects of this area, especially the parks and lakes and river... brian -- .. . . . . . .. .. . . . . .... .. .. ... . . . . . . . brian thomas carroll the_electromagnetic_internetwork electromagnetic researcher matter, energy, and in-formation human@electronetwork.org http://www.electronetwork.org/