Stopped in again at the Mid-Continent Public Library's Blue Ridge branch this evening, and despite the fact that, as I previously reported, MCPL's locations don't show up as free hotspots in JiWire's listings any more, this branch at least is still offering free coupon access. I asked a librarian why MCPL doesn't just open up the network and she didn't have an answer. Maybe if someone from central administration could come here and look at all the desktop workstations occupied-and people waiting to get onto one-do you suppose that they just might get a clue? I can see three or four out of maybe a dozen users who look old enough to responsibly handle a laptop. There are also a couple of kids who obviously aren't that old having to sit and wait.
I ask you-what's wrong with this picture that a free, open and well-publicized wireless network wouldn't help fix?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Believe it, Ripley!
North Kansas City Public Library
2251 Howell, North Kansas City
802.11g
SSID: NKC library
Good news: It's here, it's free and open (for the most part-see below), and the tables in the center of the building sit next to columns with power outlets. Not so good news: They're using Zone CD for some ridiculous reason, meaning not only that you have to click through their acceptable use policy (a document that, just as an aside, I think they really need to run by a lawyer before it gets them into trouble) and be delivered to their homepage, but that every so often, you have to click back through it and go once again to the homepage, a la the mindlessness ath64 ran into out at the Johnson County Library a while back. (There's a simple workaround; have two tabs open in your browser, using one as a dummy and the other for your real work. Navigate to your homepage or some other site on the dummy and use it to perform the initial AUP clickthrough, then proceed with your work in the other tab. When going back to the homepage would wipe out something important, bring up the dummy tab and refresh it, performing the repeat clickthrough there. That's how I managed to post this.)
As far as I can tell, the connection is unfiltered, thus explaining the AUP's warning that use is restricted to persons 18 or over. Whether they could really enforce this on an open network unless a user was clearly accessing illegal content is questionable, in my view. Why not just close the network and require library card authentication if you don't trust your patrons? That's the question that would come to my mind if I were a juror hearing a case stemming from this issue.
Anyway, it's good to see NKC finally come into this century with the rest of us. Now if a certain library system to the west would wake up and take the hint...
2251 Howell, North Kansas City
802.11g
SSID: NKC library
Good news: It's here, it's free and open (for the most part-see below), and the tables in the center of the building sit next to columns with power outlets. Not so good news: They're using Zone CD for some ridiculous reason, meaning not only that you have to click through their acceptable use policy (a document that, just as an aside, I think they really need to run by a lawyer before it gets them into trouble) and be delivered to their homepage, but that every so often, you have to click back through it and go once again to the homepage, a la the mindlessness ath64 ran into out at the Johnson County Library a while back. (There's a simple workaround; have two tabs open in your browser, using one as a dummy and the other for your real work. Navigate to your homepage or some other site on the dummy and use it to perform the initial AUP clickthrough, then proceed with your work in the other tab. When going back to the homepage would wipe out something important, bring up the dummy tab and refresh it, performing the repeat clickthrough there. That's how I managed to post this.)
As far as I can tell, the connection is unfiltered, thus explaining the AUP's warning that use is restricted to persons 18 or over. Whether they could really enforce this on an open network unless a user was clearly accessing illegal content is questionable, in my view. Why not just close the network and require library card authentication if you don't trust your patrons? That's the question that would come to my mind if I were a juror hearing a case stemming from this issue.
Anyway, it's good to see NKC finally come into this century with the rest of us. Now if a certain library system to the west would wake up and take the hint...
Saturday, September 08, 2007
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
You know, I really thought i'd never have to write another post like this, given that it's been maybe a year since the last one. And this one really gets to me because it's for a type of location I've been waiting to see unwire locally. The only other Wi-Fi laundromat I've seen listed anywhere is down in Lawrence.
So I was eager to give the Westport Laundromat at 1409 Westport Road in Kansas City a good review. Besides, I have a certain affinity for the place, having frequented it for its intended purpose back in my pre-homeowner days. But alas, it was not to be. No IP address from the access point's DHCP server. Too bad. I was thinking about bringing in a load or two on my way home from work every now and then, just for old time's sake.
Well, if any of you happen by and notice it's fixed, let everyone here know.
So I was eager to give the Westport Laundromat at 1409 Westport Road in Kansas City a good review. Besides, I have a certain affinity for the place, having frequented it for its intended purpose back in my pre-homeowner days. But alas, it was not to be. No IP address from the access point's DHCP server. Too bad. I was thinking about bringing in a load or two on my way home from work every now and then, just for old time's sake.
Well, if any of you happen by and notice it's fixed, let everyone here know.
Good news (maybe) and bad news (for sure)
Looks like the Mid-Continent Public Library's dalliance with free and almost-open Wi-Fi has ended. None of their locations show up as free hotspots in JiWire's listings any more.
I think, however, that it's only a matter of time before MCPL joins the free world. They can't be making enough money for AT&T to justify carrying on their current arrangement much longer. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see AT&T follow Verizon's lead and get out of the play-for-pay Wi-Fi game altogether. Most of their other remaining locations nationwide are McDonald's restaurants, and I can't recall the last time I saw anyone boot up in a McDonald's that wasn't an independently-operated free hotspot. And as providers of cellular broadband as well, AT&T is essentially competing with itself anyway. How much sense does that make?
The potentially good news is that there's a rumor making the rounds that the North Kansas City Public Library has finally unwired, given that they're listed as such on wififfreespot's Missouri page. This can only be categorized as a rumor at this point, since the library's website makes no mention of it at present. We'll try to check it out sometime this week, but if anyone out there has any relevant information already, feel free to share it here.
I think, however, that it's only a matter of time before MCPL joins the free world. They can't be making enough money for AT&T to justify carrying on their current arrangement much longer. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see AT&T follow Verizon's lead and get out of the play-for-pay Wi-Fi game altogether. Most of their other remaining locations nationwide are McDonald's restaurants, and I can't recall the last time I saw anyone boot up in a McDonald's that wasn't an independently-operated free hotspot. And as providers of cellular broadband as well, AT&T is essentially competing with itself anyway. How much sense does that make?
The potentially good news is that there's a rumor making the rounds that the North Kansas City Public Library has finally unwired, given that they're listed as such on wififfreespot's Missouri page. This can only be categorized as a rumor at this point, since the library's website makes no mention of it at present. We'll try to check it out sometime this week, but if anyone out there has any relevant information already, feel free to share it here.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Coming soon to a hotspot near you
Glenn Fleishman of Wi-Fi Networking News has the scoop on Apple's new Wi-Fi-enabled iPod Touch, as well as a couple of things I personally find even more intriguing-a Wi-Fi-only version of the iTunes Music Store, and a somewhat curious marketing arrangement with Starbucks. Bring your wiPod (or laptop with iTunes installed) into one of their stores once this is up and running and you can not only connect to their T-Mobile network for free, but you can buy whatever song they happen to be playing at the moment, or browse through the last ten they've played, as well as make a regular iTunes purchase.
It isn't clear if the free access will extend beyond iTunes, but my guess is it won't. I'm baffled as to how Starbucks has survived this long-let alone been so successful-as play-for-pay. I can't imagine anything worse they could do to alienate their obviously loyal customers than to give something away for free to Johnny-come-latelies that their more established clientele is still asked to pay for.
The best hope, of course, is that this could prod Starbucks' management to finally turn the page on the calendar, say "sayonara" to T-Mobile (or, perhaps more appropriately, "auf Wiedersehen," since they're a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom) and join the "free" world.
And it'll be interesting to see whether the wiPod, if it really takes off, will have any social effects on wireless Internet and how we use it. Since you won't need a computer to load content onto a wiPod, how will the issue of parental control be addressed? Will there be pressure on operators of open hotspots-like public libraries-to block access to iTunes, or will this fall on Apple? And since five will get you ten that the porn peddlers are already gearing up to shovel smut at those few wiPodders who'll be in the market for it, could we eventually see a push for age restrictions on the sale of this and other wireless devices, or mandates that content control mechanisms be incorporated into them?
I also see the potential for some hotspot operators, somewhere down the line, to put the kibosh on filling up your wiPod on their networks should video overtake audio as the preferred content, owing to bandwidth concerns, at least until networking technology catches up.
Then again, this thing could go the way of the Newton. Anyone else out there remember the Newton?
By the way, Fleishman is one of the most insightful writers covering wireless networking technology. Bookmark his site or pick up his RSS feed. He's well worth a daily read.
It isn't clear if the free access will extend beyond iTunes, but my guess is it won't. I'm baffled as to how Starbucks has survived this long-let alone been so successful-as play-for-pay. I can't imagine anything worse they could do to alienate their obviously loyal customers than to give something away for free to Johnny-come-latelies that their more established clientele is still asked to pay for.
The best hope, of course, is that this could prod Starbucks' management to finally turn the page on the calendar, say "sayonara" to T-Mobile (or, perhaps more appropriately, "auf Wiedersehen," since they're a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom) and join the "free" world.
And it'll be interesting to see whether the wiPod, if it really takes off, will have any social effects on wireless Internet and how we use it. Since you won't need a computer to load content onto a wiPod, how will the issue of parental control be addressed? Will there be pressure on operators of open hotspots-like public libraries-to block access to iTunes, or will this fall on Apple? And since five will get you ten that the porn peddlers are already gearing up to shovel smut at those few wiPodders who'll be in the market for it, could we eventually see a push for age restrictions on the sale of this and other wireless devices, or mandates that content control mechanisms be incorporated into them?
I also see the potential for some hotspot operators, somewhere down the line, to put the kibosh on filling up your wiPod on their networks should video overtake audio as the preferred content, owing to bandwidth concerns, at least until networking technology catches up.
Then again, this thing could go the way of the Newton. Anyone else out there remember the Newton?
By the way, Fleishman is one of the most insightful writers covering wireless networking technology. Bookmark his site or pick up his RSS feed. He's well worth a daily read.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Subs for breakfast, maybe?
Mr. Goodcents Subs and Pasta
3037 Main, Kansas City
802.11g
SSID: linksys
The sign hanging in front of the window speaks the truth; this place is indeed unwired. However, it would be nice if the sign did a better job of blocking the awful glare coming in through those big, unshaded, westward-facing windows at around 6 p. m.-especially from the pavement. I'm finding a bit of relief from sitting at a right angle to the windows by moving my chair around to the south side of the table so I'm facing north as I view the display. It's only a moderate improvement, however. The sun reflecting off an adjacent table and even the floor here brings me to the conclusion that this is a place to hit early in the day or not at all (it closes at 7 p. m. weekdays and at 4 on Saturday). That is, unless you've got a way to shade your screen to help your eyes adapt.
There are a couple of tables next to power outlets along the north wall, and another pair of outlets at the south end of the seating area-but that one is so close to the windows I'm not sure I'd bother with it past midday without that aforementioned sunshield.
3037 Main, Kansas City
802.11g
SSID: linksys
The sign hanging in front of the window speaks the truth; this place is indeed unwired. However, it would be nice if the sign did a better job of blocking the awful glare coming in through those big, unshaded, westward-facing windows at around 6 p. m.-especially from the pavement. I'm finding a bit of relief from sitting at a right angle to the windows by moving my chair around to the south side of the table so I'm facing north as I view the display. It's only a moderate improvement, however. The sun reflecting off an adjacent table and even the floor here brings me to the conclusion that this is a place to hit early in the day or not at all (it closes at 7 p. m. weekdays and at 4 on Saturday). That is, unless you've got a way to shade your screen to help your eyes adapt.
There are a couple of tables next to power outlets along the north wall, and another pair of outlets at the south end of the seating area-but that one is so close to the windows I'm not sure I'd bother with it past midday without that aforementioned sunshield.
A good idea migrates north, and spawns another one.
Stopped in at the main KCMO Library downtown this afternoon and was gratified to see that the laptop lending program which started at the Plaza branch has made its way there. I saw at least a half-dozen users-mostly people who apparently would have had to wait in line for a desktop workstation otherwise. And that got me thinking.
Why doesn't KCPL expand this service to all of its locations? Not only that, but publicize it so patrons who'd benefit most from it will know it's an option. And here's another suggestion while I'm at it. To help with costs, why not get the manufacturers involved? Many of the young people who'd likely make up most of the users will eventually be in the market for a laptop themselves-and the more successfully we help close the digital divide for them, the more likely it'll be sooner rather than later that they'll be making that purchase. What better way for a maker to get its brand name in front of such hot prospects' eyes than a free "test drive" at their neighborhood library branch?
Why, if you approached him just right, I'd bet even Steve Jobs would sign on to help, which-in my unbiased opinion, of course-would be the icing on the cake.
And to that big-city library system on the west end of the viaduct, along with the smaller one north of the river that also hasn't unwired, here's another good reason to leave the last millennium behind. How many more are you going to need?
Why doesn't KCPL expand this service to all of its locations? Not only that, but publicize it so patrons who'd benefit most from it will know it's an option. And here's another suggestion while I'm at it. To help with costs, why not get the manufacturers involved? Many of the young people who'd likely make up most of the users will eventually be in the market for a laptop themselves-and the more successfully we help close the digital divide for them, the more likely it'll be sooner rather than later that they'll be making that purchase. What better way for a maker to get its brand name in front of such hot prospects' eyes than a free "test drive" at their neighborhood library branch?
Why, if you approached him just right, I'd bet even Steve Jobs would sign on to help, which-in my unbiased opinion, of course-would be the icing on the cake.
And to that big-city library system on the west end of the viaduct, along with the smaller one north of the river that also hasn't unwired, here's another good reason to leave the last millennium behind. How many more are you going to need?
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