Banker's hours, wordplay and...pigs?

Well, I tried. Really, I wanted to add some new reviews of recently opened local sites, along with at least one I'd been trying to hit for most of the past year. Sadly, however, it won't happen, which in the case of the long-term target is particularly distressing.

Memo to the operator(s) of the coffeehouse in northeastern KCK: Did it ever occur to you that some of your potential best customers might be those who'd stop in after work? You know-people who'd like to sit for a bit and unwind on their way home, and have the additional advantage of coming into your establishment with money in their pockets owing to their being employed? Obviously this hasn't occurred to you, or you wouldn't be closing at 4 p. m. It's not like anyone's competing with you for this extra business, by the way, what with the KCK Public Library closing its network to non-cardholders and no other free and open commercial locations I'm aware of between you and the speedway. What gives?

Then there's the case of a couple of recently established cafes across the state line-one downtown, the other in the Union Station/Crossroads area. Both at least claim to offer "free Wi-Fi" but just how either accomplishes that feat with WPA-encrypted access points boggles the mind. If you're giving it away, there's no reason to lock the AP down; if you aren't, you need to be honest up front about that. "Free" access that requires a purchase in advance really isn't, the semantic gymnastics engaged in by its purveyors notwithstanding.

Finally, to end things on a lighter note, have a chuckle on this little play on words, courtesy of cartoonist Stephan Pastis and of Glenn Fleishman over at Wi-Fi Networking News, who also thought it was good for a laugh.