Returning from the shore house this past weekend, i was sitting in the back seat of the family car using my PowerBook. You know, playing some music, watching a video or two, just passing the miles. Earlier in the weekend i had been wardriving around the shore, and had left MacStumbler running. As i approached a toll plaza my PowerBook emitted a sudden orgasm of beeps and dings:
EEP!... Ding.... Ding... Ding... DIng
And here is why:
Mmmm... unsecured wifi signals. I managed to connnect to one of them, and allmost got into the IRC channel before we drove out of range.
Reminds me of when I had to pay a visit to set up a payment plan for my taxes. While doing some work on a Dell laptop with wireless, I saw several wireless networks available.
Given where I was there was no way I was going to try to get on them.
I noticed that too a while back while going cross-country. Seems a little strange. But I guess they would notice if you just sat their for hours in your car using the internet. Anyone know if it is a public service, or just an overlooked lack of security?
http://www.wifinetnews.com/archives/004343.html
Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan have it at the rest stops.
-- MJ
I travel south central and southwest Iowa a few times a year and they have them on the major highway (I-35) but not on the smaller ones (without reststops). They even have signs up advertising them. It seems nice, but I'm never in a need to stop when we go by one...
I don't think it was set up as a public service, s there are no public parking facilities at NJ toll plazas. I think it was more of an oversight in their security, although, one would notice a car sitting there for hrs on en, so.. it doesn't really need to be secure, now does it?
some people just dont mind on blocking there wifi, some have it open for a reason so people can use it, sometimes people are to stupid to lock down there wifi if they dont want anyone to use it.
then there is the smart ones that have it locked down so people cant use them.
me myself have my wifi open so people can use it, but only to the point till someone starts to hog it, only then will i put a restriction to it. but it has never been a issue yet, no one around me has a computer with wifi capability sept me.
The rest stops on the Ohio turnpike have stickers up that talk about the free AT&T hotspot there.
of our little podunk town's McDonald's, with its "Wifi Here" banner plastered in the window. I went in there once to use it when my DSL was down, and I get a web page directing me to go to the counter and buy a card for access.
Answer? "Oh yeah, we used to have them, like when they first put that in, and nobody bought 'em so after we ran out we just didn't get any more."
Good times, good times...
-- Macinjosh