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Think a stylish Pittsburgher is an oxymoron? I won't put myself up as an example, but as it turns out, Pittsburgh is a great place to fool myself into thinking I live a stylish life on a paltry budget. How do I manage so well to pretend to a life of style? As evidence, I offer up the following narrative reviews of literature, film, music, television and everything else. VOTE in our Best of Pittsburgh survey. Please feel free to this blog or subscribe via RSS. Comments, questions and feedback are always welcome by email. Drop me a note at ![]() |
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In Search of Wireless Internet: Downtown Free WiFi
For the past two months I've been on the town in search of cool places to get free wireless. When I first moved into my new apartment a year ago, my computer picked up a plethora of local unsecured Internet connections. But one by one, slow but sure, each of them got replaced by a secured connection. Is it because individuals and business within internet-shot of me are suddenly up to a series of shady activities? I haven't noticed my locality swell into a hot-bed of crime, so I'm guessing that the same thing happened to them as happened to Neilbert and Saundra—they got a new modem, and it was easier to make it secured than unsecured.
Yes, folks, sometimes even I have to rant against capitalism.
The City of Pittsburgh offers two free hours of WiFi throughout the downtown areas. Sounds great, right? Well, when it's working, sure. A couple weeks ago I went downtown in effort to get on the Internet, but it just wouldn't work. I started at PPG Plaza—not working. I got up and moved to the outside seating area near the PNC building. Nothing. After wasting an hour, walking around, trying to get a connection, I went up to the Carnegie library and just connected there. Okay, so maybe they were just having technical difficulties that day. Can't condemn the whole system for one day of service blips. For the record, I've had no trouble with getting the connection either before or since. The biggest problem with the downtown free WiFi is one of practicality. In order to take advantage of it, you have to find a place to sit down and open your computer (assuming that most people aren't so skilled at wandering the streets while surfing the net on an open laptop). If you work downtown, then maybe this is your office, or the lobby of your building. But then, you probably already have an internet connection at your office, right? And random folks like me who are not employed downtown can't just wander into your comfy lobby. I could go to a coffee shop or other restaurant to connect... but wait, that defeats the point of totally free wireless. Most coffee shops and an increasing number of restaurants offer their own free wireless... "free" wireless with a very obvious price. If you use the wireless, you buy their stuff. If you go into a coffee shop and sit down, you're going to be expected to buy some coffee whether you're using the downtown WiFi or the coffee shop WiFi.
There is yet one glimmer of hope, though. There are a few indoor common areas downtown made possible by the food courts in rather large office buildings. PPG has a food court right off of Market Square, and Oxford Center has one off of Grant Street. Sometime when the weather is spiteful and I'm feeling adventurous I shall venture down into the food courts and test the free WiFi. Will it work even in the depths of towering office buildings within cavernous food courts? Stay tuned... 2007-09-13 00:05:46 GMT
Comments (3 total)
Author:Anonymous
I bet if you sat in the driveway of Saundra and Neilbert's place you would have great reception (JK)
2007-09-13 00:56:01 GMT
--Saundra Kane
Author:Anonymous
Y'know, just today, I offered Ted a ride Downtown to his job interview, and, knowing that it would only take about forty minutes, I thought, "Why don't I just bring my laptop with me, do some Internetting, and when he's done I can save him a bus ride back as well as to the USX building?" Well, because as you point out, I would have had to find a place to sit Downtonw, and also, in the situation I found myself in, I would have had to *park* Downtown, the cost of which could have taken me to a coffee shop for WIFI seven or eight times. I brought a book, ended up at the counter of DeLuca's in the Strip instead.
2007-09-13 04:07:44 GMT
Sidebar: Boo, Capitalism! See? SEE? --Sabrina <https://www.sabrinaspiher.com>
Author:Anonymous
See what I keep saying about Capitalism? SEE?
2007-09-13 04:08:50 GMT
--Sabrina <https://www.sabrinaspiher.com> |
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