I spent part of the past weekend scoping out WiFi hotspots in or near Golden Gate Park, in preparation for the first-ever Global Wireless Virtual Haiku Festival, to be held around noon Pacific / 20:00 GMT this Friday, March 21. Results were mixed. I found good, usable signals in a couple of cafes -- interesting, but not for the festival, which should be outdoors. I picked up WiFi signals on the steps of Kezar Stadium and on Lincoln Ave. between 2nd and 3rd, but couldn't log on to the Net there. And I got a strong signal in the lovely Garden for the Environment, thanks to Jason Luther's excellent outdoor WiFi installation -- but also had problems logging on there, for reasons I can't quite determine.

I'd like to check the signals in the Civic Center area, near the SF Main Library and the new Asian Art Museum, since that might be more accessible to people working downtown. But I'm not sure I'll have the time. Right now the most likely candidate looks to be the Garden for the Environment. Any opinions?

People who can't be physically in San Francisco for the festival can still participate! There will be a number of ways to do this: By posting your haiku to tinywords.com, by receiving haiku on your email accounts or SMS/Web enabled phones, or by holding your own simultaneous virtual haiku readings. More details to come soon.