Nips' Conniptions

So I have been reading online posting sites such as "I'mabigwhiner.com," "Thisblows.com," and "MyselfesteemislowsoI'llriponyou.com," with the express intent of tempering my incredible excitement about picking up the Minneapolis Wireless service. Quick background: Last year it was really cool for cities to pretend to have wifi. They got all dressed up in Earthlink contracts and perfumed themselves with pilot zones to impress each other, but when 2008 rolled around, they traded in their airs and got real: There's no way. Except Minneapolis. It had gotten in too deep with a local contractor and really couldn't get out. As a result, we're stuck with a 3-month-delayed municipal wifi solution that has endured pretty extreme setbacks, a healthy dose of reality, and the sparkling chance that it just might actually work. How does the latter fit with the former(s)? Well, everybody gets their hopes up, signs on, and it doesn't work. Then they yell. Regardless, I have conscripted a guinea pig to run some tests for me. And by conscripted, I mean "will badger with questions until he finally gives me enough affirmative answers that I'll dive in." The goal is to have every square inch of the city in range of a wifi receiver. This includes the lakes, parks, and high rises. As you'd expect, this has been scaled down a bit, but the spirit is still there. When it is complete, I should be able to move about town with my lappy and have access to the net wherever I go. The best part is that it is locked in at less than $20 a month, FAR better than the $50 I get charged by Comcast ("Comcastic" still seems like an insult to me...). And that might help me with that electricity bill.

Posted by ndNips on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 2:01 AM | Permalink