What to do?

[Duane Attaway]

On Mon, 13 Jan 2003, Brian Densmore wrote:

> Hey, how much is a wireless card? It might be a fun weekend activity to
> go warchalking. Let's warchalk the whole stinking metro! I'm with you
> Michienne, the airwaves ought to be free! Can you use anything more
> permanent than chalk? Now all I need is to make a power adapter for my
> laptop to plug into the lighter socket.

$50 last time I checked for a Dlink with a high sensitivity radio
receiver.  $1 for a can of Extra Chunky Beef Stew.  $2 for 50 ohm cable
and connectors.  Or a $50 investment for a sleek yagi antenna.

I plug my laptop directly into the car's lighter socket (with a fuse, of
course!)  My laptops may have batteries with voltages higher than of a car
battery (14-19V,) but they always have a robust internal switching power
supply that will charge it from the car's 12-15 volts.

Highway rides are always interesting.  Aiming a directional antenna at
high density residential areas a mile away light up the connections like a
christmas tree.  The 2.4GHz spectrum is saturated in many parts of the
city also.  Just aiming towards the large buildings from the highway is
like listening to all shortwave stations on the radio at once.  Quite
busy.  There are many sources that appear to have amplifiers and transmit
for dozens of miles.  There is a whole world out there in wireless most 
people do not get the chance to see.  Its an experience.

--
Why drive a car when you can ride a bike?
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