[pchelpers] Re: moving a 'puter/wireless internet

 dunno if anyone read this or saw a similar story on the BBC? it's about 
"warchalking," marking wireless web access points for freeloaders to log on. 
Want Wi-Fi? Learn the secret code
By Matt Loney 
Special to CNET News.com
June 26, 2002, 10:55 AM PT
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-939546.html 

Seventy years ago, during the Great Depression in the United States, hobos drew 
signs to indicate to each other where they could get a meal. Now, across the 
Atlantic in London, geeks are talking about using a similar system of chalk 
symbols to signal where they can get a decent wireless Internet connection. 
Warchalking, as the practice has been coined by Matt Jones, entails simply 
drawing a chalk symbol on a wall or pavement to indicate the presence of a 
wireless networking node. If you see one of these symbols, you should--in 
theory at least--be able to whip out your notebook computer equipped with an 
802.11 wireless networking card, and log on to the Net. 
The idea of organized wireless hot spots, where people can log on at cafes, 
exhibition centers, airports and the like, is nothing new. BT Group has 
ambitious plans to create a commercial network of at least 400 high-speed 
wireless hot spots by next summer, and plans to have 20 up and running by 
August. 
BT's vision, which entails providing access only to subscribers of its OpenZone 
service, required a change in the law to allow commercial use of the 2.4GHz 
part of the radio spectrum without a Wireless Telegraphy Act license. 
But warchalking is remarkable because it is based on an ad hoc process of 
people discovering Wi-Fi nodes, whether commercial or not, and signaling their 
presence with chalk symbols. It is also remarkable for the reception the idea 
has had. 
"I've been a bit overawed by everything, to be honest," said Jones, who came up 
with the idea after seeing students of the U.K. Architectural Association in 
what they called a "wireless Internet performance." The students had chalked an 
office plan on the pavement of London's Bedford Square, and sat out in the 
virtual office with laptop computers hooked up to the Internet over a Wi-Fi 
connection. 
"I thought it seemed like a really nice idea," said Jones, who has an 
architectural background himself. "I have only had a wireless networking card 
for two months myself, and was interested in how it could change a city." 
Several days later Jones was chatting with some friends, and someone mentioned 
the symbols that hobos used to use. "These were all about making visible what 
might otherwise go unnoticed," said Jones. After spending half an hour in Adobe 
Illustrator, Jones set up a Web log to publicize his idea, e-mailed the address 
to a few friends, and waited. 
That was Sunday. By Tuesday, the popular Slashdot.org Web log in the United 
States had picked up on the story and the flood of e-mails began, including 
ideas to expand the basic set of three symbols to include the direction of the 
node. 
The first attempt at drawing up symbols resulted in three simple designs: two 
semicircles back to back to indicate an open node; a circle to indicate a 
closed node; and a circle with a "W" inside it to indicate a WEP (Wireless 
Equivalent Privacy, a security protocol) node, which will probably be 
inaccessible to the public because such nodes use encryption for security. Each 
symbol has a Service Set Identifier (SSID) at the top, which acts as a password 
to the node. SSIDs are easily obtained using readily available sniffing 
software. 
"The idea of the warchalking blog (Web log) was to put an imperfect idea out 
there and see what happened," said Jones. "It has been interesting to see how 
it has happened, but it has grown so fast it does not really feel like my idea 
anymore. I feel more like the gardener than the builder." Nevertheless, Jones 
hopes to finalize version one of the runes by the end of this week. 
The idea of the warchalk symbols, said Jones, is that they should give just 
enough of a visual cue to indicate that it is worth firing up a notebook or PDA 
(personal digital assistant). Some suggestions have concentrated on touring the 
city with a notebook and GPS (Global Positioning System) to find wireless 
nodes, and then building an online database, but according to Jones this misses 
the point: "Using chalk runes breaks the cycle, because otherwise you would 
have to fire up your computer and log on anyway to find where the nodes are." 
And the attraction of warchalking is its simplicity. Jones likens it to the 
apocryphal tale of how NASA spent 10 years and millions of dollars to make 
ballpoint pens work in space, only to send its astronauts up with pencils. 
There are other attractions of the chalk approach too. 
"Some people have asked why not use stickers or paint," said Jones. "But the 
idea of chalk means that people have to go around and renew the symbols to the 
network is constantly revalidating itself and checking its own integrity. Also, 
using chalk won't piss too many people off." By using chalk, warchalkers should 
be able to avoid the fate of IBM, which was fined $100,000 for spray painting 
its "Peace, Love and Linux" ad campaign on the sidewalks of San Francisco last 
year. 
There have been reports of system administrators expressing concern at the idea 
of having their wireless networks probed and exposed for all to see, but 
according to Jones there is a positive side to this. "If someone chalks the 
fact that you're exposed and you're a (system administrator), you can see it. 
You know you're exposed, and then you can decide what you want to do. I have 
already had e-mails from some (system administrators) who said they love the 
idea. Several even said they will print the symbols on a card and put it in 
their office windows." 
However, the idea does not appear to be universally popular. The organizers of 
London-based community wireless project Consumer.net, for instance, do not 
appear to be overly impressed. 
"I am one of those people trying to seriously encourage community networking, 
and if that activity is seen to be some sort of cracker plot it will be 
damaged," wrote one Consume.net member on the Slashdot Web log. 
ZDNet U.K.'s Matt Loney reported from London. 
******************************************************************************************************************
Cheers!

Ellen

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   Ed <edwest@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 

I guess I'm stuck in the past.
Now, if I could just get wireless internet for my pda as easy as your
suggestions.
Thanks,
Ed




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