Now San Francisco to be world's biggest (free) WiFi hotspot

We're not going to get into that whole "where the money could be spent" better discussion, but it does at least make a little more sense that San Francisco wants to give that whole municipal WiFi thing a go (compared to Philly, anyway). And yes, it fits, Mayor Newsom stating "We will not stop until every San Franciscan has access to free wireless Internet service," being that SF is one of the last decently socialist American cities. But with ugly unemployment rates and unaffordable everything else, we're still not sure Internet access (or lack thereof) is what's keeping San Francisco behind right; either way, we'll see how quickly this one falls on its face.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

:-P

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

... its budget will spiral out of control while the benefit it delivers will circle closer and closer to the toilet bowl.

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

There are a few "free" (as in paid by taxes) public infrastructure projects that have been pretty well received and survived.. like .. sewage, water, electricity, garbage pick-up, roads, sidewalks, public transportation, parks...

How is wifi different?

Improve quality of life -> attract businesses & residents -> increase tax revenue -> improve quality of life.

Damn, what are these socialists thinking?

[Greg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

People don't pay for sewage, water, electricity, garbage pick-up, roads, sidewalks, public transportation, parks, etc where you live? I receive a bill for sewage, water, public transportation and electricity. Many times I had to pay for admission to various parks when I went to San Francisco.

I think you need to reevaluate your position with the bills you receive in the mail every month.

[Lenny Cooper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Yeah, What are these socialists thinking?

Cheers,
Lenny

[Carl @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

"... being that SF is one of the last decently socialist American cities. But with ugly unemployment rates and unaffordable everything else ..."

That's funny.

[Phil @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I think parts of Cole Valley already have free WiFi...

[SideSwipe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

"WiFi, a wireless technology that allows a computer with a special modem to connect to the Internet."

Last I checked, a LAN card is NOT a modulator-demodulator (modem). ;)

[webdog @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Living in the Sunset district, where the nearest hotspot (paid or free) is a mile away, I can see a need for this. I applaud Newsom for recently converting Union Square to a wi-fi hotzone.

Here are some SF Wi-Fi links people might find useful:

Union Square becomes Wi-Fi hotspot
http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_page.asp?id=27481

SFLan Community Wireless project
http://www.sflan.org/

Sean Savage's Free Wi-Fi Cafes list
http://www.cheesebikini.com/wifi-cafes

BayAreaFreeFi Hotspot Listing
http://www.bayareafreefi.com/

Webdog's Free Sunset Wi-Fi Hotspot Listing
http://www.webdog.com/assets/sunsetfreewi-fi.html

[travis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

There are some public spots near me but they seem flaky... it'll be good to help out tourists and business types and such but if I want the full throttle web speed I'm going to use my own wireless hub and net connection.

[moz levy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

: )
cant wait

[TheTrollSlayer @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

> Last I checked, a LAN card is NOT a modulator-demodulator (modem). ;)


Oh my god, a screaming 14 year old boy! I thought you guys only existed on slashdot. In fact, a Wifi card IS a modem. You see, a modulator-demodulator is merely a device that converts a digital signal to analog (modulates) AND an analog signal to digital (demodulates).

Guess what: the signal that comes out of the wifi card? Yep. Analog. How did it get that way? Modulation! Several different kinds of modulation for each bitrate, in fact.. But to understand an explaination of that, you'd need at least a vague understanding of Shannon's law, which you won't likely ever achieve.

I can't believe I wasted 10 minutes of my time just to thwap you with a clue bat. Pity you probably won't even read this. But people googling for "San Francisco Wireless Project" will!