09-29-2006, 11:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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NYT: My Life B.W., Before Wi-Fi
"I RECENTLY arrived at a hotel about an hour before a room would be available. So I sat in the lobby and opened my laptop. Just as I expected, a message popped up on my screen. �Do you want to join the wireless network �Free Lobby Wi-Fi?� � I clicked Yes, and off I went to E-mail Land...As I waited for a big file to download, I was suddenly taken aback. �Just as I expected?� I�d actually taken it for granted that I�d get online in three seconds, at no charge, at high speed and with a single mouse click? Why, to any normal person of, say, 1995, that would be considered a freaky, utopian, futuristic miracle. I know because I was one. (A normal person in 1995, not a futuristic miracle.)"
Thus begins a very cute little story (great for Friday OT reading, although a free NYT reg is required) by David Pogue, lead technology columnist for the New York Times, about his experience before the days of pervasive Internet access, back when Internet access in some places meant acoustic couplers and lots of crossed fingers -- such as on his honeymoon in Indonesia. And now that I think about it, those day seem really distant; I'm essentially bathed in Internet access, even when I was sitting in the lobby of a small hotel in Italy a few weeks ago. How time flies... have a great weekend, everyone!
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09-30-2006, 12:10 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 426
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Re: NYT: My Life B.W., Before Wi-Fi
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
"I RECENTLY arrived at a hotel about an hour before a room would be available. So I sat in the lobby and opened my laptop. Just as I expected, a message popped up on my screen. �Do you want to join the wireless network �Free Lobby Wi-Fi?� � I clicked Yes, and off I went to E-mail Land...As I waited for a big file to download, I was suddenly taken aback. �Just as I expected?�
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Enjoyed the read, thanks Janak. That snippet sold me :P.
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10-01-2006, 01:20 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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It's funny how rapidly our opinions and expectations can change so rapidly. It wasn't that long ago that very few businesses had any kind of Web page; now, if a company doesn't have at least some form of transaction-capable site, I find myself questioning my willingness to do business with it. And, I've gone from HOPING that a hotel will have some kind of high-speed access, to planning my trips to stay at only those that do, to essentially assuming that any hotel charging more than $3.00 per night has in-room wireless access.
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10-01-2006, 04:24 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
And, I've gone from HOPING that a hotel will have some kind of high-speed access, to planning my trips to stay at only those that do, to essentially assuming that any hotel charging more than $3.00 per night has in-room wireless access.
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Unfortunately, this is still not universally true internationally. However, it's not hard to find hotels that have, at least, high-speed wireless access in the lobby, which is far superior to the bad old days of expensive dial-up.
--janak
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10-01-2006, 05:51 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 455
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I find myself thinking about this on vacations, too... whether to rent a house for a week that is more comfortable but does not have wireless, or go with a hotel room that does. Without wireless, I have to connect my old cellphone to my laptop, and deal with 14.4 speeds to the web... good for e-mail, but a drag for any other web site. It makes a difference, if a caveat of your vacation is that you will have to have at least some access to e-mail or other web sites, as I often do.
On the other hand, this might just drive me to a web-capable smartphone, and largely solve the problem that way.
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Steven Lyle Jordan: Original SF so good, Fox would never put in on the air. |
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10-02-2006, 06:10 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 318
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Makes you kinda wonder... what's next?
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10-02-2006, 07:26 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 761
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Even though a hotel might advertise free wifi it doesn't mean it always works. When we went to the US last summer we did an overnight stay in NYC before continuing.
The near La Guardia airport hotel advertised wifi, but we couldn't connect. A call to the reception enilghtened us to the fact that you have to either be in the bathroom or very close to the door to the room to have it work. 
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10-02-2006, 12:48 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 455
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"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that you must be face Bagdad, stand on one foot, place your left hand on your right elbow, your right arm in front of you, and repeat three times: 'Bottle to Genie... Genie to Master... Master to Mecca... Ramda!'"
How's that for a magic technology?
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Steven Lyle Jordan: Original SF so good, Fox would never put in on the air. |
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10-02-2006, 04:32 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 318
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Just get an Orrinco PCMCIA card and make a Cantenna out of a pringles can. Then you could get WiFi out in the parking lot with ease.
Lol!
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10-02-2006, 06:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by juni
The near La Guardia airport hotel
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Well... that's your problem, right there. :lol:
--janak
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