the wi-fi wars

beat the heat says "we just want to do what we want as long as we want and d&mn the consequences. woo, amuuuurica!" i have lived almost 10 months without a car. a client just told me the other day i was the wave of the future... groovey, uh? and to HL - why are you hiding your identity? another case scenario: so its okay to scroll thru porn while at the public library, the physical one? a bad, wouldn't you say...certain restrictions should apply, where does one draw the line? but back to the case at hand, the internet should be accessible to the public, yes, but for businesses who currently thrive on revenue generated from internet sales, its something you can't just jump from dollars to free without some discussion about it. the open forum. a place for opinions to exist and multiply. always an answer on top of an answer.

new word of the day: 'the notion has taken hold that every barometric fluctuation must demonstrate climate change. this anecdotal case for global warming is mostly nonsense, driven by nescience of a basic point, from statistics and probability, that the weather is always weird somewhere.'

i hung out on my balcony for most of the evening. i thought about things and it felt good just to relax in one place. earlier in the evening, i bumped into a guy i had met at a party a few weeks back after having watched the movie 'the devil wears prada.' yet i feel more like such a bridget jones. [following was piece mealed together from emails i received throughout the day] free Wi-Fi in the city m. writes me -- it actually is not the best thing for the city of Portland. costing the city a ton of money but on the flip side, great for attracting business for economic development. so i (we) have mixed feelings on this. what do U think? another point to add: close a school but now an exec type can log in for free..., eh? more comments love it -- as a point of clarification, you may not have understood the article fully, but there is no cost to taxpayers and will be paid for with banner ads (at least that’s the plan that was approved). if you opt for no banners ads, then cost is anticipated to be $20 monthly. this is a great marketing addition for Portland, periannually the most wired city in America, now becoming the most wireless! yes, i understood the article and the advertisement is good, however there is potential to also lose ancillary business from businesses like us. for example, what will stop them from stepping outside to log onto internet for free when we could be generating revenue from transient travelers in the public areas of the hotel. in the long run it will get hotels to stop charging for it! i did however mention in an earlier e-mail that it will help put us on the map for attracting business to Portland. you have a point! with good reason, firewalls are easily penetrable. especially in the banking/financial world, pharmaceutical etc. i think anyone wanting a secure and reliable line will scare away from wireless-at least that’s what we’ll tell them right? there will be confusion for the guests on which wireless networks they are actually connected to since we also have our own wireless network. one scenario is -- paying for our wireless service but they connect to the City’s which will be a lot slower and with a lot advertising pop-up. the other is the guests may decide to use the City’s Wi-Fi since it’s free but wants us to assist them when they run into problems with the connectivity. hmmmmmmm...

this is america ;)

_________________________________________________

PDX relief agency helps Lebanese families

09:43 AM PDT on Thursday, July 20, 2006
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- As thousands flee their homes to escape bombing in Lebanon and Israel, Oregon-based Mercy Corps has begun handing out emergency supplies to displaced families south of Beirut.

The Portland relief agency estimates that 5,000 people are in need of food, water and other basic supplies.

Mercy Corps aid worker Cassandra Nelson, who is now helping in Beirut, said Mercy Corps is distributing food, cooking supplies, air mattresses, and blankets to 3,000 people in the town of Kaifoun, southeast of Beirut.

The town of Kaifoun is normally 5,000 people. But now, it has swelled to about 40,000 as internally displaced people seek refuge there. About 14,000 people are staying in schools and other buildings throughout the town.

In the meantime, Mercy Corps' long-term economic development projects in southern Lebanon are on hold until the security situation improves, Nelson said.

The agency has worked in Lebanon since 1996, investing in programs to improve agricultural practices, expand access to information technology, bolster tourism and manage natural resources.