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After
getting fit for my teeth-whitening mouthpiece, I thought I'd do something
I've never done before: Warwalking with my 2.9 pound laptop and a
Proxim WiFi card. I couldn't get Netstumbler to work, so I fell back
on the Wireless Configuration Utility that came bundled with the driver.
I'm sitting down on the corner of Market / Grant / O'Farrell in front
of the Wells Fargo Bank with a 60% uplink. Whoever's open: thank you.
I'm across the street from a CompUSA, but I don't think the access
point is sitting there. The strength of the signal decreases the further
away I get from the bank doors. This would have been much more fun
to do with a friend. I wonder if anybody's gonna ask what I'm doing.
Here, I'll have to take a picture of myself. Where's my chalk? Here
I am; some geek who loves free Internet access. Here he is; some student
who wanted to pay me a buck for him to check his e-mail. I refused
to take his money. Instead, I decided to Pay it Forward and give $35
to a homeless guy in exchange for a book of poems and a local monthly
rag. Minutes later, I strike up another conversation with a passing
geek. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), I couldn't spend all night
on the corner; I had to get to a meeting. Of course, "sniffing"
all the way. I couldn't catch an open network until I was actually
sitting down in the waiting room. Man, if only every place had free
access - this would be a happier world. Dontcha think?
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