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Wireless Net Access in Your Car
Alex writes "If this item is any indicator of the next big rage, then perhaps lawmakers may want to expand the limits on cell phone use in a moving automobile. Broadband2Wireless is about to launch a wireless MAN that would allow one to connect to the internet from anywhere in the city. While the service is not aimed at vehicles, the "company demo-mobile" is bound to attract copy-cats looking to be the first on their block with a network in their car. " 1.5mb for $50 a month? They don't plan to support
mobile users quite yet, but the article says they will when they have the coverage. It sure would be awesome.
This sounds cool, but does how can you surf the net, grab mp3's, donload Divx;-) movies, and deal with Atlanta traffic?
There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
Idiots who talk on a cell phone while driving are killing people. Now, we need this???
Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.
Galactic Geek
* * * Free programmers? Why not? http://www.Geeks4Free.com * * *
And run over how many people on the way? Or get someone to drive for you -- I can't afford that.
Mobiles are pretty dangerous, but computers???
Can you say "Beowolf Cluster"?
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I can understand some people wanting access in multiple cities, but what about isolated historic neighborhoods, such as the one where I live in Boston, which has such outdated facilities from the cable providers and Verizoned that no broadband is availble. And this is only hundreds of feet from areas successfully served.
On Tuesday my Broadband2Wireless (their service is now called Airora) connection gets installed. I'm hoping for the best after nearly 2 years of trying with the cable companies and the phone company.
I'm curious about your bike ride. You have a place to take a shower when you get in?
I have to tell you, Atlanta has to to be one of THE MOST unfriendly places for bikers and pedestrians. Most suburbs don't even have sidewalks, and I'd never ride a bike on most of the roads (no gutters or sidewalks). You'd get a ticket on the interstate for trying to take your bike there. It really sucks. Guess I'm just venting. I actually have to put the bikes on my car rack to drive them five miles to the park where we can ride them.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I began reading this post, thinking "I love sarcasm," but it quickly became clear that you actually believe this. Even upon realizing this, rolling my eyes, and eventually returning them back to their original position, I was completely ready to let it go.
Then I saw this...
|*| Ask not what you country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. -- anonymous |*|
If you don't know who said this, please finish your American history homework before you go out to play kickball at recess and don't post to any newsgroups on your older brother's computer. Stupid opinions do count and should be given due respect, however, you are really pushing the limits.
My Novatel Wireless Merlin card and Ricochet subscription give my iPaq access to the entire internet at 128kbps anywhere I go at up to 70 m.p.h. in 14 major metro areas.
Think of the possibilities, indeed. This type of service already exists.
the browser should be smart enough to slow down the car, say around 10 mph when it's in surfing mode.And what if the driver says when he hits someone while surfing porn sites????
It's when moderator N thinks moderators 0 through (N - 1) moderated your comment up too high. Sucks when you're at the auto-+1 stage (start at 2) and at max karma. If somebody thinks your comment is funny/informative/whatever, you gain no karma. If somebody then later disagrees with the first moderation(s), you _lose_ karma for the overated moderation. So this means that potential the math works like this: 50 + 3 - 1 = 49. Sucks. IMHO the overrated and underrated moderations should be removed, becuase their intent (discouraging unfair moderation) is aptly handled by meta-moderation.
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hmmmm, anyone have a clue as to what type of gear they are using?
So was I.
I've read up and down the posts, I've searched the net, but found no factual information about this. Is it UMTS ? Just wondering with the speed they're offering. The "usual" 802.11 is SUPPOSED to go to 11Mbps, but rarely gets more than 2 Mbps sustained while in motion.
I'm just wondering 'coz I tried to set up a wireless no-per-minutte-charges internet in Copenhagen a few years back, we got squished by the big telecomunications companies. I guess this wont be much of a problem anymore with flatrate internet access everywhere.
Still I'm intrested but apparently the only way to get more info is to subscribe to a mailing-list with no disclaimer, or privacy statement. Not very encouraging.
Oh.. And about Your idea of using the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Forget it... Have You noticed how much equipment is out there on the 2.4GHz unlicenced spectrum ? There was an article on slashdot a while ago. And I must say that the comments were right on the mark. You CANNOT buy a 2.4GHz product and expect it to work.
--- To err is human... Am I more human than most ?
Pilots navigate in three space, keep the greasy side down, listen and respond to the radio, listen to other people's conversations (and determine if they are affected -- "where is that Learjet who just called in?", for example), and visualize other traffic and topology. They manage to do all these tasks safely and quickly.
Thats ridiculous. Of course pilots can do all of this. The space to the next plane is generally not a fraction of a second. There is much more time to react. The main obstacles are the ground and the other planes. On larger planes where the pilot is more taxed they have sophisticated devices to aid him. There are very few sharp corners in a flight. To compare the two is foolish.
...it's a Beowulf cluster. :P
here comes -1
-"I talked to God and here's the deal/ He said to floss between each meal" -- Uninvited
Millibits.
Micro is (mu).
Mega is M.
Bit is b.
Byte is B.
Little unit, little letter. Big unit, big letter.
Bitchslapped. Neat.
And yes, if you want to do limo-LAN, I have a hub, a gateway, and an inverter that'll keep up to 4 laptops charged all the time.
So (yawn) I'm supposed to be impressed with some guy in Boston who has *one* laptop in a lowly stock Mercedes sedan?
- Robin
(for those who Slashdot readers who don't know, I have the "roblimo" nick because I have owned a limo service for many years.)
lets see, one hand to drive with, one hand to shift with, one hand to manuever the mouse/trackball/touchpad, one hand to...hmmm..i need more hands if this is gonna work..
this is just a placeholder till i send back my real sig from the future.
- Cars are the third largest source of fatalities in the U.S. each year.
- Cars are one of the biggest sources of pollution in the modern urban environment, pumping out carbon dioxide, sulphuric acid, and other pollutants.
- Cars consume an enormous percentage of household income for large sectors of our society: income that would be better spent on necessities.
- Road networks take up millions of acres of arable land in a world of growing food demands.
- Oil reserves are fast being depleted, and our continued reliance on oil (as compared with, say, France's reliance on nuclear power) has left us beholden to unstable or hostile political regimes throughout the world.
- Et cetera.
If wireless net access allows people to drive who would otherwise be sitting at home or at the office not harming the environment or contributing to the political and economic instability of our nation, then I can't approve. We should be concentrating on getting every classroom connected to the internet and giving laptops to the homeless so they can get the skills necessary to seek proper employment before we concentrate on such a silly endeavor as this.Read the rest of this comment...
I can see only limited necessity for such access. Okay, yes, it would mean you could take your laptop to the park so that while you're out exercising and enjoying some sunshine, you can keep up your constant reloading of slashdot. While on the train to work, you can check your email because something mission-critical might come across the wire in those 30 minutes, and that the principals wouldn't call you on your cell phone. Houses wouldn't need to have another signal running along the phone or cable to provide internet service.
I just don't get it. Maybe I'm burnt out, because I just don't see the need to have internet access everywhere I go. I don't have a PC with me everywhere I go, and I don't want one. Hells, I'm starting to need a knapsack to cart around the gadgetry I already carry: my knives, leatherman, leatherman adaptor, cell phone, PDA, pager, etc. When I'm not at home, or at work, I'm not concerned with what the latest news might be. It can wait until I go home. I'm not worried about whether Jim Otheruser got my email.
I'm not saying it's useless... wireless connectivity could provide great onboard mapping for vehicles, could aid in CBTC, and help other mobility-required systems stay hot. I just don't see much need for it as a utility for personal consumption and use.
MCH/VO S* W- N+++++ PEC+++ D(s++/r) A a+>+++ C* G++(++++) Q+ 666 Y
You could frag the SOB in front of you i
a trafic jam
42
I set my cruise control to the EXACT speed limit, then drive in the left lane. I love watching the SUV's sway when they try to get around me in rush hour traffic. Also, could someone explain to these morons the meaning of "yield", "stop", and "speed limit"?
- - - If the sun is a star, why can't I see it at night?
OK, this is a much better topic for discussion, IMHO. I think your thesis is, "Does ubiquitous communication enhance peoples' lives?" Don't let me put words in your mouth, but that's sorta what I'm getting from you.
I argue, "Yes." I carry on a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend. Without telecommunications, this would be impossible. Is it possible to have relationships without telecommunications? Sure. But don't think for a minute that I care any less or am any less devoted to this individual just because she's 1200 miles away from me. I talk to my grandparents more on the telephone than I ever could in real life. (no, my grandmother is not the one I'm having the long distance relationship with. That's gross.)
As far as getting skeeved out by people talking on cell phones, I really don't get it. I mean, would it be any different if they were talking to a person in the pax seat (or worse, in the back seat!)? These are meatspace communications...are they somehow more valid or useful than telepresence ones? (pick your catchall term for "communicating with others using technology")
I dunno...I just don't get what's so magical about meatspace conversations. Well, that's not true...there are avenues of expression and communication that are not available via telecommunications that can happen IRL (heh heh), but at the same time telecommunications has its own advantages and disadvantages.
I don't believe that technology devalues face to face communications: it just changes the set of circumstances that make f2f necessary. (note that f2f can be awfully expensive, say if the faces are on different continents...) Bottom line is, it's not a zero-sum game. I'd rather talk to my girlfriend on the phone than have a beer at the local pub. That doesn't mean I don't like said beer...but the fact that one communique is real and the other is electronic does not bear on their value to me.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
And... www.consume.net in London
[Please type your sig here.]
Ham radio operators already have a package like this, we callit APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) basically you hook the GPS up to a radio (usually via a TNC and optionally a computer) to send position reports every few minutes, this is picked up by other APRS stations as well as by base stations which among other things put this info on the internet. as a result there have been several cases almost exactly like the case example above ("oh darn. someone stole my truck.", http://www.aprs.org , 911 "yeah my truck is at the corner of 5th and centre wanna pick it up for me?") the coverage on this is actually pretty good, most cities in north america and many elsewhere have coverage, this protocol also allows for simple text messaging, and all with no monthly fees...
...how does this service compare to wireless services that plug into the pc-card slot? It seems to me that the only competitive appeal of this over a pc-card based service would be to desktop owners in areas not served by DSL or cable modems--the ease of use sounds great. But, if you were interested in computing in your car, would you not rather have a service that you can also use portably, outside of your car?
As for cellphone driving, it is not the same as drunk driving. For example, cellphone-driving's impacts are age-related, whereas drunk-driving is not age specific. As a person gets older, reaction times get higher, and thus the added distraction of talking on the phone becomes more important.
"Chill, Orrin!"---Trent Lott
In case you're wondering - the answer is "a suburb of Atlanta". And I'd agree with you for anyone who can reasonably take public transportation.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
And there we have it, yet another excuse for bad unfocused drivers. Woo hoo!! Roads are getting safer by the minute.
--- I used to moderate, then I read the -1 articles and decided having to filter through them was not worth it.
4. Major fines for running red lights. It's not like they don't warn you well ahead of time, after all. The only reason people run red lights is because they're either (a) not paying attention or (b) too damn important.
5. Where to stop at an intersection. That line there means something, it's so that trucks and buses can turn the corner without driving over you. Extra fines for stopping in crosswalks, or blocking the intersection.
6. Set speeding fines by percentage over the limit, not mere numbers. 15 over in a 15 mph zone is a big relative reduction in your reaction time, unlike 15 over in a 65.
7. Retests cover four-way stops, and right-on-red rules. Don't forget to yield to pedestrians!
8. Forget about testing parallel parking. Who ever got killed because somebody couldn't parallel park? 'Sides, most suburbanites have long since lost their ability to || park, even if they ever had it.
9. Oh yeah, turn signals again. Retests must cover how far in advance of an intersection you must signal, and proper lane positioning before the turn (ie, as far to the appropriate side of the lane as practicable, just like the law says).
10. Hm. I can't think of 10, but there must be one. Oh, I've got it. Major fines for honking at, screaming, and making obscene gestures at other people. It's illegal, after all, and at least as offensive as cellphone use.
OK, who's with me?
spammers emailing my car.
---
Here, here! Every time I see some fuckhead driving 45+ mph at night while reading a paper or a book, I just want to run the asshole off the road and bludgeon him/her to death with whatever he/she was reading!
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
All we need to do is enforce reckless driving laws. If someone's not paying attention, weaving, not signalling, tailgating - why don't they just get the ticket they deserve. We don't have to make any new laws, just enforce the old ones.
What I don't understand is why people want all this. I mean, obviously, there are useful things (traffic information, weather information (especially if you are on a long trip). But let's face facts, most people will be sifting through the spam and advertising trying to find out the joke of the day or some other nonsense. Looking up pornography in traffic jams, or posting crap like my posting to Slashdot.
Me, I don't even have a cellphone. And I don't want one. I still don't understand why anyone would.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
"Hey, good looking -- I'll be back to subnet you later!"
Carousel is a lie!
what happens when there is a thunderstorm??
Also, the area they are talking about in Boston (Back Bay) has buildings with some of the worst wiring I've ever seen. When I lived there, whenever I turned on my computer, I could here the hum through my stereo speakers downstairs... This does not bode well for wireless communication.
"The company is based in a brand-new office building at the eastern tip of the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, with spectacular views of the harbor and Logan Airport"
yah yah, right. I don't know if you've ever been there, but the bay and airport are the ugliest pieces of sh!t you could ever see in Boston.
At least with a cell, there are hands-free kits and some limited voice-dialing functionality available; similar tech for computers, while it's been in the works for (it seems like) forever, just isn't up to the job yet. So you'll have Joe Public bending over to check the score of the hockey game from last night (or, worse, checking the porn he got in his e-mail last night *shudder*) and meeting a tree at 40 mph.
If they weren't so likely to take others along with them, I'd think it was a nice bit of auto-Darwination (pun not intended).
Ix
It's true.
Most major cities have it - 802.11 networking.
People set up base stations (i.e. apple aironet base with and antenna) and share their internet access.
Pretty cool
Costs you about $150 for the PC card for your laptop, based on the premise that a users will set up a base station.
Z.z.z.z.
I have a shotgun, a shovel and 30 acres behind the barn.
1q2w3e4r5t6y7u8i9o0pqawsedrftgthyjukilo;p'azsxdcf
Your take on my thesis is almost right. I'd actually say it more like this: "At what point does ubiquitous communications stop enhancing peoples lives and start enslaving them?"
I've actually been trying to figure out why it is that I get so bothered by cell phone conversations in public spaces, and I think I've figured it out. For me at least, the biggest thing is that whomever you're communicating with via cell phone instantly becomes the most important person in your consciousness, eclipsing whomever is near you in meatspace. The cell phone becomes the default first priority means of communication, even above face to face. How many times have you seen someone sitting at dinner with a partner and talking to someone else on a cellphone?
It's not that I wanted you to be focusing on me in particular, of course. In fact, most of the time when I walk around downtown, I'm not specifically looking to have any form of predetermined contact with anyone else. But I like being open to the possibility of having a conversation with someone, or interacting with someone in a way that is non-planned, non-efficient. When I look around and see people walking along the sidewalk talking on their cell phones, they seem to be in their own little bubbles, isolating themselves from the world they're moving through. That's entirely their perogative, and again, I certainly don't want that option taken away from anyone. But use of technology is always a choice, though I'm not sure most people understand that when they elect to be in constant communication with the world electronically.
I spend most of my time in an office every day, trying to be as efficient as possible, juggling many tasks, and there's something liberating about being able to go out into the "real world" of random meatspace.
Something about ubiquitous communication makes me feel that there is no escape. When I'm with a group of people, odds are one of them has a cell phone. It's usually impossible to just say "I'm out of reach - I'll be out all night somewhere and you won't be able to contact me," because one of my friends will have a cell phone. Anyone who knows this will be able to reach me. My ability to maintain my freedom from ubiquitous communication has just been eradicated.
In any case, Moofie, you don't seem like the kind of person who would let a cell phone get between you and those around you in meatspace. I suppose I just don't think most people are that aware.
I am on the Web all day, I use email whenever I'm at a computer, but I like being able to walk away from it. Sooner or later I'll have to get a cell phone, because businesspeople no longer accept "I don't have a cell" as an excuse for not being reachable during commuting hours or on vacations. As usual, technology marches on, and society changes as technology is adopted.
I just wanted to point out the direction these great technologies are taking us. The benefits are clear and numerous, but there are some pitfalls. If we recognize them, maybe we won't continue our ongoing slide further and further away from actual in-person communication, with all its nuance, challenges, and subtleties.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Check out http://www.airwire.net/hummer
When are they going to come out with the in-vehicle kitchen? I want my pizza oven, microwave, and coffee maker, damnit!
We are currently implementing a similar wireless solution over my campus. They are piloting the system in the library right now, but they plan on putting enough "base stations" around the campus to allow access from any building and surrounding roads that the University police patrol on. (this is a joint effort with the police department and computer guys on campus).
to think that some good might actually come from those pigs.
Two infinite things: your stupidity and mine. But I'm not sure about the latter. If my sig offends you, I'm sorry.
Before signing up for broad band, I would suggest reading at DSL Reports it might have saved me a lot of headache had I done so before signing up for dsl.
My Weblog
I dunno. I left the site after closing the annoying pop-up and seeing that the main option on the site was "Play Flash Movie". Looks like a classic dot-com loser pattern - hype first, deploy someday.
o/~ Wireless Man, Wireless Man
Doin' the things that your wireless can
What's the latency, it's not important
Wireless Man
Is he bluetooth? Is his IP spoofed?
Do potholes set his data aloof?
Or do his checksums always tell us the truth?
Nobody knows
Wireless Man o/~
While most drivers have had to maneuver in extremis to avoid some bozo who isn't paying attention to his or her driving, I heartly oppose any simple-minded "no cellphone use while driving" law.
The problem isn't the use of the cellphone (or shaving, eating, applying makeup, talking to a passenger, etc.) -- the real problem is Driver Judgement (or lack thereof). The government gives minimal training to new drivers, tests them to absurdly simple standards, then gives them a license to drive a two-ton death machine. Any biped with a pulse can get a license. So why would anyone expect said biped to have a clue?
Refuting the claim that "cellphone use is as dangerous as drunk driving" is easy -- just ask any pilot. Pilots navigate in three space, keep the greasy side down, listen and respond to the radio, listen to other people's conversations (and determine if they are affected -- "where is that Learjet who just called in?", for example), and visualize other traffic and topology. They manage to do all these tasks safely and quickly.
The way pilots can handle this kind of workload is simple -- they prioritize their tasks. Aviate, navigate, then communicate. We're trained to say "stand by" to a controller if we're busy with an aircraft control task.
While in a car, I do the same thing. If I'm in heavy traffic, I won't pick up the phone if it rings. However, on a lightly travelled freeway, I will pick up, and increase my following distance. If conditions change (traffic incrases, or it starts raining), I might say "I'll have to call you back". Judgement is the key here.
So, I say we should determine driver judgement by results. Specifically:
1. no mindless "you can't do X while driving" laws.
2. a $10000 fine for any at fault accident, and a 90 day license suspension. You screw up, you pay.
3. Mandatory driver retests every two years. Retests cover freeway driving (how to merge, how to use turn signals, no camping in the passing lane) and emergency procedures (lane change, spin recovery, etc.)
OK, who's with me?
It's Linux, damnit! Pay no attention to renaming attempts by self-aggrandizing blowhards.
Ummm...I surely hope you don't drive 80mph in a residential zone. I think those speeds are reserved for expressways (where there are no "defenseless people". Besides, my car goes 150.
Innovations like this make me want to run into a server closet with a battle axe.
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
Ix
thank you!
--
Je t'aime Stéphanie
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
There's a car already in production (well, built to order) which features a 150kb/s link. It uses a multiplexed system of GSM phones. And it's rather nice
More details at megacar.com.
"My opinions are my own, and I've got *lots* of them!"
Now, instead of getting hit because someone is having phonesex with their SO while driving, I'll get hit because they're watching LIVE STREAMING PORN from their car.
Next step: In-car virtual reality. My neck hurts already.
-Puk
Obviously my reply wasn't intended to everyone. However, if you are currently taking a train and this causes you to take a car, something is very wrong. I am in the same situation as you, were public transportation is slower than driving. However, I have worked in Chicago where a 40 minutes train ride is better than a 70 minute drive.
Frankly, I like riding my bike better than either the car or public transportation if the distance is less than 30 miles each way. You arrive to work ready to kick some serious butt and you get home with no more stress from the things that went on at work.
A friend of mine owns SkyBurst, a Met Area Network in South Bend, IN that has operated like this "Broadband2Wireless" company - For two years. Very cool technology, downloading at 150k/second sitting at a traffic light. Guess he needs a better publicist. Any investors interested? Not a theory, but 14+ tower wide-wide area net running for quite some time...
Shameless Plug: www.skyburst.net
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
I wonder why San Francisco area (aka Bay area or Silicon Valley) is not on the list. This is not the first thing, several things come to bay area late. DSL, cable...etc.
Does any one know why 'mecca if hightech' is the last to adopt new stuff?
LinuxLover
Actually, it's very possible to start a fixed wireless service provider business economically and without much hassle. Granted, some RF engineering must be performed to assure good placement of access points, along with other issues. But it's entirely possible. Another fixed wireless provider in Florida has been doing this for a couple of years by using a Hummer as their mobile repeater. This isn't anything new.
Why is this such a big deal? I've been doing wireless in my car since 1998, with AT&T and a Uniden wireless modem. 19.2 connection speed, but it beats no connectivity at all.
-- Ed Carp, N7EKG erc@pobox.com PGP KeyID: 0x0BD32C9B What I'm up to: http://intuitives.mine.nu
... A major traffic jam was found to be caused by hundreds of commuters Downloading Pr0n and Warez from there cars during the morning commute.... Local police had nothing to say, due to the new "Virtual Doughnut" website.......
if you mod me down, Darth, i shall become more powerfull than you can possibly imagine.. f33r |\/|1 |\|3g4+v C4r|\/|4
But who's to say that people might not turn away from the flash, shockwave, and heavy, slow websites and towards a lightweight, text oriented, rapid delivery system?
People already turned away from a "lightweight, text oriented, rapid delivery system" that the web was and "chosen" the "flash, shockwave, and heavy, slow websites". I quote chosen because the consumer didn't really choose. Look at the most popular sites on the web (Yahoo, Amazon), they are fast and plain HTML (more or less). It's the designers and creators who want the latest whiz-bang gadgets and magazine-like designs to hide their lack of taste/talent/content who are to blame for the current sorry state of the WWW.
Maybe mobile devices will change this trend and restore the web to it's natural state of platform independence and end-user display choices.
I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature.
This wireless phenominon is nothiong new to me being that i work for a wireless internet provider. And 50$ a month is a bit high for internet service. our average speeds deliver 350+k a second, basic wireless beats the pants off most dsl/cable modems, it is really cool to be able to drive anywhere in a 250 mile radius and never have to get off IRC. :) Anyone who would like to know more about wireless service can contact me @ secretive26@hotmail.com
A spaceship is spinning wildly out of control, crashing into everything.
Man: "Oh my God, they must be using a cell phone!"
Personally I think cell phones are a godsend. They finally let us easily identify and avoid the idiot drivers that have existed since the invention of the automobile...
The Yankees are late, again. Here, in Finland the WLAN is nowadays used by many local ISP's. So if you have a laptop computer with the right kind of equipment, you can surf the 'Net for example in your car (while driving, of course) or on a bus stop or wherever. Like a acquaintance of mine said when I told him about this topic, "wait until they start to hype about digital mobile network being cool sci-fi".
For one simple reason. Lack of good voice controll software. We don't need "HAL" level voice recognition, however for this to be safe and effective, at least basic memo-taking, mapping and PIM software would have to be compatable with some voice activation system. That and a heads up display woudln't hurt, but would be dangerous most likely.
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
Decentralizing causes sprawl. Miles and miles of smaller offices creates the need for duplicate services (i.e., more tiny malls, more tiny lawn + bench "parks", more gas stations). Think centralization, but multiple "centres". Each "centre" can be zoned for amazingly high density.
Of course, I'm a big believer in urban planning - you might be from Houston or Jacksonville and not agree with me.
You're completely right about commute time, though, assuming that you stay in one place when you work. If you have to courier, are in sales or service, or do things like maintenance or catering, you spend a hell of a lot more time on the road.
Hands in my pocket
http://www.ricochet.com
Well, the majority of work data pulled from the intra/inter-net via the web probably has a pretty plain interface to begin with. I mean, how fat does a web2ldap address book need to be? (this is not to say some idiot hasn't done it with a big Flash movie calling data URLs, but hopefully that doesn't happen often). Similarly, news clippings (like for the journalist), stock quotes / business documents, scientific data (interfaces to a LIMS), etc. are all pretty simple, mostly textual data. Even if you tart it up a bit with a few pictures that doesn't change the inherently textual and thus fundamentally low bandwidth nature of the data.
And of course if you're using the wireless bandwidth for a terminal interface (shell access to data, company mail or news, company internal IRC network, etc.), it's probably 28.8 kbps at a max. (of course if you're a looooooong way from the transceiver the lag would be a bitch ;-) (rsh'ing from the moon would suck...))
--
News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
5 "hub sites" supporting 130 microcell antennas which will offer connectivity to over a 20 sq. mile area... using the 2.4 gigaherz band of the unlicensed spectrum.
hmmmm, anyone have a clue as to what type of gear they are using?
Further, anyone interested in building out some Tier 2 cities before the rest of the bigboys get there?
This is certainly going to hurt the billions put into the satellite companies Sirius and XMRS. That is: as long you drive only within the boundaries of a city. As soon as you're driving outside you probably need the signals coming from the satelittes. Loz
Actually, Suffolk County on Long Island has already done it. NYC will not "go first". Wireless companies were against the Suffolk County law, preferring a statewide law instead. The state is considering just that: a ban on handheld cellphone usage while driving a motor vehicle. In Suffolk, you must have a hands-free setup if you're driving. I don't have it right at hand before me, but I believe the fines are pretty steep.
I can relate with you, Matt. I'm in Richmond, Virginia and commute to NoVA several times a month. The cool thing about this concept is that it DOES save time by allowing people to telecommute remotely if they're stuck in traffic. Let's say a salesperson has some time to kill before a meeting but they need to download a large file from their office. They're out and about and don't want to head back to the office to grab that file. They can easily do this with a fixed wireless connection over a VPN.
Who-hoo! now I can finally drive more than 500M from my home. Wired cars are so passé!
Because they were (and are) designed to transmit voice not data.
Clever engineering is used to subvert this purpose, but it's obviously a lot easier to get a good data transfer system if you design it from scratch to transfer data.
- Alan
This could be very useful for companies that has large fleets, especially coupled with GPS.
See which street your UPS/FedEx package is on ovre the net, or taxi companies tracking and dispatching their cars over the net along with a map for the driver.
Or, if your'e having car trouble the dealer could query your car's self diagnostics over the net as the problem occurs.
- putting on makeup at 65 MPH on the freeway
- trying to stop your kids from fighting in the backseat
- spreading a packet of ketchup all over a Big Mac
- reading a book or a newspaper
- putting in a CD or changing the radio station
- etc., etc., etc.
So if some moron causes an accident because (s)he was distracted by a cell phone, then by all means, throw the book at them. But outright banning cell phone usage is a bit precipitous and draconian; after all, if you're going to do that, you should logically ban stereos, passengers, food, reading material, in-car navigation systems, and anything that could potentially distract a driver from the road. And we don't want to go down that route.We're going down, in a spiral to the ground
Well, hopefully the terminal would be on the passenger side and be engineered such that (s)he couldn't reach the keyboard or easily see the screen. Yes, the only damn thing you should be doing if you're in the driver's seat is driving. :-)
Now if you have a passenger, I can see this as being a good thing. The web term would keep them from bugging you while you keep yout eyes on the road (hey, ideal world), and if you forgot a map, they can still play navigator for you using a map website. And if you have a kid up there they can be kept from asking the Dread Question (namely: "while(1) { printf("Are we there yet?!\n");}") by giving them some URLS to pr0n... ;-)
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News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
CmdrTaco flaunts his limitless knowledge of industry acronyms once again!
What is that, 1.5 microbytes?! 1.5 megabytes of hard drive space?
(Strangely, the .sig is quite appropriate in this case. ;-)
Have fun: Join D.N.A. (National Dyslexics Association)
However you would not catch a break from a Highway Patrol officer if he thought you were distracted by it, whether it's a TV, Playstation or laptop.
I really want to tell Scott Kirsner (the author of the article) that the car is not called a Mercedes "Kompressor" - the Kompressor badge on the back simply denotes (in German) that the car is equipped with a supercharger. I suspect the vehicle is a Mercedes-Benz SLK230.
Asikaa
Asikaa
Come in, twenty-seventy-seventy, your time is up.
In Austin, there was a company called Nobell that provided a similar service at a similar price. After a while, they decided there was no residential market for it and started charging higher prices to businesses. Now they've been bought by T-Speed, which has a business oriented sales model as well.
That said, I wish them the best of luck. The more competition there is in the broadband market the better it is for everybody.
How is this better than Lo-Jack? A smidgen easier to locate the vehicle, but more expensive and failure-prone.
Corporatism scares me.
Shawn Pack
For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.
I rather consider ubiquitous net access a killer app for the train.
The evaluation of an action as 'practical' . . . depends on what it is that one wishes to practice.
CowboyNeal? I always thought that it was just a joke when he was on the polls. I never knew it was real! Where do I sign up? Now that I look at the polls, this is not new technology -- wireless men serve as things such as household appliances, and much more. He seems to be a very popular poll choice. Where do I get one??
________________________________________________
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suwain_2
Do you by any chance live in Austin, TX? :-) (can't count the number of times I've seen some lady driving the youth soccer league around in her suburan attack/utility vehicle while using both hands to talk to two people on two cell phones (at least by the way she goes from lane 0 to lane n at high speed and random intervals))
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News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
...assuming it's going to run something like cellular or PCS...
No, sounds like the standard ISM band wireless ethernet. Available from from Aironet, Breezecom, us(C-SPEC), Proxim or one of the zillion other compnaies out there doing wireless. I do support and I would hate to see what is going to happen to all the people trying to connect their LAN's when these guys start spraying RF all over the city without a care for how they mangle all the usable spectrum.
Scott Plumlee
Here in Northern VA, we've the worst traffic anywhere. People talk on the phone so they have something to do besides sit still. I'd thought that the dept of transportation was waiting for telecommuting, 'cause they ain't building any more roads. It seems that this will let us sit in traffic for 4 hours, continue to do work; and then turn around and sit in traffic for 4 more working hours. An eight-hour day of production in traffic!
matthewR
As long as your train is mostly above-ground it'd be easy to mount a transceiver on the train, and then have a LAN on the train (data port on every seat or something, or in special "commuters who like to work" cars that cost a few bucks extra to defer the cost of the modification). Short tunnels could be fixed with rebroadcasters, longer ones with beefier ones. If the tunnel is through something like a mountain you'd probably need a rebroadcaster on the opposite-from-MAN side anyway.
It would be especially nice if they included a three-pronger AC outlet with each ethernet port. Gotta figure, a few dozen laptops would be a negligible power drain compared to an electric turbine powerful enough to move n tons of train + people + cargo... If you're using a gas/diesel turbine you probably have power to spare to run a small generator anyway (and probably are already doing so for the electrical subsystem on the train).
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News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
Shame on all of you for only looking at the bad effects of such technology. Should we not accept cellphones because they distract drivers? This is more than internet for the car! (And it works in cars anyway; see my streaming mp3 example below. ...who needs a car cd changer now?)
...
I want this technology on my handheld device. I want this technology to give me net access in an apartment building that only allows one ISP to wire the building (making it that ISP or nothing)
THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL BREAK MONOPOLIES!
I have long awaited a way to get a better net connection at home and to be able to have a palmtop computer that streams mp3s from my multi-gig collection at home. My ideal portable computer fits in my pocket, has color, doubles as a wireless phone, streams mp3s, and streams other information (such as the internet). This is now all possible.
Think of it; 32 or 64 megs of RAM suddenly loses all meaning when you have a fast connection to a hundred gigs! Put this technology on an iPaq and just see what happens!
Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
I'll grant you, Ricochet costs about $75.00/mo. But it has a lot that this system doesn't.:
- Ricochet covers 48 million people in 14 population centers - literally hundreds of municipalities. The system referenced in the article covers...part of Boston.
- Ricochet is shipping today - at a price that business people with legitimate business needs are happy to pay.
- Ricochet is available as a 4-oz. external device with a 6hr. battery life, or as one of two different PC cards. The service in the article requires two external antennas and a transciever inside the car. So much for "true mobility".
- Ricochet uses two slices of free spectrum - 900-915MHz and 2.4GHz - as well as the 2.3GHz licensed spectrum, owned by Metricom, the developer of Ricochet. That's a lot more spectrum than available to the Broadband2wireless system. What happens when B2W devices run into interference?
Ricochet seems to be a much more reliable service for mobile professionals. It's available today in several markets, is protected by patents, and has a backup plan in the 2.3 GHz spectrum. B2W is just a copycat applying LAN technology in a microcellular architecture.... I like to call it "driving". Maybe you people with cellphones and TVs and Internet access in your cars should try it sometime?
After nearly being hit by drivers talking on cell phones, I am really not relishing the idea of these same people surfing the web while driving. I personally think cellphone driving should be dealt with in a similar manner as drunk driving - who's with me?
GOSH I need this. I have been waiting for this for years.
We do not need to clog up our infrastructures anymore by locating the offices in the few widely dispersed areas with the high bandwith..
we can decentralize these operations, saving space, energy, commute time, the air, preventing sprawl.
As a journalist I would love to be able to step into my car and have all my databases, research and editing tools at my fingertips.
I am aware this will come with an accompanying loss of speed. It's not my fat university T-1. But who's to say that people might not turn away from the flash, shockwave, and heavy, slow websites and towards a lightweight, text oriented, rapid delivery system? A fast-downloading site will become marketable again if its market is wireless.
We should all SLOW THE HELL DOWN for a bit, anyway.
Goat sex free since 2001
I mean, I don't know about the next guy, but the thought of broadband access on the move would convince me to stop taking the train to work and start driving a car.
Does my bum look big in this?
Actually, I do write to the webmasters... I lately wrote to guinness.com about their flash-laden site that would not let me browse with Navigator 4.x on FreeBSD.
It's a simple thing for the "web designer" (read: overpaid shmuck, by my experience) to put in a text only page that will appear when the user-agent cannot load their default page.
I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature.
''The network is initially intended to be fixed wireless,'' meaning a computer sitting on a desk, says BB2W CEO Paul Adams, ''but when there's enough network coverage, we'll be able to support mobility.
shit, in Houston people read books, shave, brush their teeth, why not let them check their email while talking on the phone? ill get in front of them, slam on the brakes, and get a new car! (i hope y'all know im not serious, as crashes suck)
http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/globe_tech/at_l arge/030501.html
... Not so good when you're playing EQ or Q3A while stuck in downtown traffic.
Seriously, depending on the range of this kind of WAN, assuming it's going to run something like cellular or PCS, this could be a serious boon to those who like the in-car navigation systems or services like OnStar. Since OnStar is supposed to be able to do things like unlock your car doors, I'd want a data-firewall to go along with my engine firewall to keep some l33t script-kiddies from haxxoring my car and going for joy-rides.
The idea of being able to play EQ (I think Q3 or Unreal Tournament wouldn't be able to hack the lag) as a *passenger* during a long commute or roadtrip would be a pretty damn nifty.
"Billy, you stop downloading porn back there or I'm turning this car right back around!"
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Check out http://www.seattlewireless.net. They've been doing a community wireless service for a few years now with great success.
I can just see it: "Ma'am, I'm pulling you over because your car is running an illegal OpenNap server. Step out of the car, please.."
i hate people who only go the speed limit in the left lane, as my mom says "those yankees are ruining our streets". in texas we love to speed, even my grandma drives 80 usually. o, and i haven't wrecked yet (4yrs of driving, not bad)
The service itself isn't designed for cars; it's targeted to home offices and small businesses where broadband via cable modem isn't available, and where DSL either isn't an option or people are fed up with the companies that provide it
Of course someone would take the article out of context, shame on Slashdot.
Out here in New York (Long Island to be exact) they've banned cell phone use unless you have the whole wireless attachment setup, and I'm usre there are other places across the US that have the same laws. Now just think about how neat the idea sounds, then think about your sister, friend, or other dying because someone decided to post something on Slashdot, wouldn't be so great now would it.
Anyways, on to the technology portion of this, wireless isn't all that in fact its sort of a sham. The connection isn't reliable as fog, snow, shit even a pigeon could screw up your connection. So for you hi paid geeks who think your just about to deposit smoe money in your bank account via your PT Cruiser, well that pigeon that flew by could screw your connection up thus screw something else up along the way, leaving you in debt. (ok so its an outrageous scenario)
Wireless is also not a secure method of sending information anywhere lest we forget:
Packet Pigeons Advisory
Has people from Daimler-Chrysler in Germany controlling their prototype cars from the 'net already. In fact, they've already created a peer-to-peer networking system that allows drivers to exchange, for example, their insurance information automatically after an accident (assuming the thing isn't totaled. More on this from TheFeature. Carnegie Mellon has been looking into this for some time as well.
Blue skies... Barthie burgers... girls.
Well, in theory it is, Your connected everywhere you go. But, I have this bad picture of (no offense to the techno savy chicks out there, and to the few guys who are like this too) woman who are putting on make up and chatting on cell phones, while typing in an online chat room while zinging down the expressway weaving in and out of traffic. Yikes.
It might be beneficial to have such systems only activated when the vehicle is in (P)ark.
that works both ways....
Cops want you.
Cops log on to yourpage.com
Cops put your 2o out on the radio
your busted
Be very carfull what you wish for.
AdFuel
I did a cross country trip just about a year ago with a Cobalt Qube 2 as a server, my Sprint PCS phone for WAN connections and an 802.11b network (an Apple Airport connected to the Qube, a G3 Powerbook, and a CTX P166 notebook). It worked fine in transit and from motel rooms to the car. Sprint PCS (using the Startac phone in digital modem mode) connecting back to my home network and out to the world as needed.
- Tjp
I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!
trolls driving while on slashdot..Now there's a scary thought. Mothers keep your children off the sidewalk cuz the driver has got to have FP!
Even better lets get those tobacco lawyers to Sue Car manufactures for putting in the radios and passenger seats. They should be liable for allowing such distractions.
You could already do this I suppose using the already-extant satellite internet access systems. But why would you want to if you live in range of the MAN? Yes, the bandwidth is about the same, but your latency will be MUCH less than to a satellite transceiver (the difference it take an EM wave to travel from car to city 10 miles distant and back (way shorter than you'd notice) compared to from your car to orbital bird and back (quarter second and up depending on altitude)). Wouldn't matter for email and web surfing probably but net games and remote shelling would really be feeling the difference.
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News for geeks in Austin: www.geekaustin.org
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
Actually New York is trying to do exactly that. There's some dispute about whether NYC will go first or whether they'll try to make it law for the whole state right away.
It turns out (the reason they're doing it) that cell phone users cause just as many accidents as drunks!
Great. As if cel phones aren't a big enough distraction for drivers. I've about had it with cel phone implanted yuppies in sport UTs running me off the road. Now this. Just wonderful. Its Mad Max time.
could earn you a Darwin Award
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
or for that matter 56k!
I'd be more interested in a cheap wireless Internet access that is satellite driven. Then I could justify putting a system in my truck. (Computer system, not stereo) Link that with GPS, and give it a dummy mode that makes it look like nothing but a touch screen radio to thieves, and I'll never have to worry about my vehicle getting stolen.
Walk outside
"Oh darn. Someone stole my truck."
Walk back inside.
Log on to Internet. Go to http://www.mywebpage.com.
Looky there! My truck keeps updating my webserver with its position. Call authorities. Explain situation, and give location of felons. Smile widely knowing that I will have my vehicle back in about 20 minutes.
I mean, how many things can I do at one time that require 100% of my attention?
no, wait, maybe my GF might want to download some pr0n for me for when we get back to the house...
. . . right.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Netizen: Sorry officer, I was reading a /. article on radar jammers...
LFS. Have you built your system today?
Wow, you haven't smashed up your car in 4 *whole* years of driving? That's almost as long as some people live before they're killed by a drunken speeder. The sign says speed LIMIT. It ain't NASCAR out there.
- - - If the sun is a star, why can't I see it at night?
I'm not sure where, but recently I read about how in a few years we'll also be able to operate heavy machinery while we drive. It sounded really cool! I think it said that we'll be able to control the speed and orientation of several tons of potentially lethal metals at speeds up to 80 MPH around defenseless people while we surf, chat, and listen to the radio on the road. It sounds fun but I hope I can spare the attention for it.
--------------------------------
Cause of accident : Victim was downloading pr0n on the net.
finally our minds won't be the ground for coroprate radio marketers dumping britney spears and eminem!!!
live365.com
now all the small timers and indie rockers will be on equal footing with CBS Radio.
All of a sudden, the RIAA's marketing monopoly just got a punch in the gut. We have a better distribution system. Soon we'll have control over what songs get beamed to our cars and radios....at least get to pick the station our friends set up with all the new, local, cool stuff.
Now all we need is a live365 type thing for music videos.
Internet killed the video star!!!
"Let him go, Ralph. He knows what he's doing." --Otto Mann (simpsons)
How expensive is it to rely on a "mobile wireless" system that only works in one part of one city? It's worth $25.00/mo. to this mobile professional. I'd rather have 128kbps in 14 major cities across the U.S. than 1.5Mbps in part of a city on the east coast.
...But definitely interested in what kinda equipment they're using. My boss wants to do something like this, but is afraid, due to the high cost of the system we've considered (Lucent's WaveAccess line). Anyone know what equipment suits the task? If it doesn't cost millions of dollars and allows more than 3.2Mbps polled bandwidth (like Lucent's WaveAccess), better.
dude.. lay of the Peng-Mints man. its just a website. I honestly dont care what Taco and Hemos do, and i dont think anyone else does either....
if you mod me down, Darth, i shall become more powerfull than you can possibly imagine.. f33r |\/|1 |\|3g4+v C4r|\/|4
"Man causes 7 car pile-up, distracted by porn."
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silence is poetry.
... some of them actually make sense. Like the one that makes it illegal to use a mobile phone in a car without a hands-free kit. :^)
Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow. -- Linus's Law
I believe I have heard about a potential law that is being considered in Oregon that would ban the use of cell phones while driving. If you wanted to use a cell phone in the car, you would have to pull over, take your call, then go on your way. I think this is a great I have been scared many times by drivers that are on their phones and think they own the road. I see a same problem coming from Internet in the car. However, if used properly, as in pulling over or using it while your parked somewhere I see it as being very useful. If you are out of town and want to know where good resteraunts are with reviews to look at, just hop on the web and there you go. Or maps, hotels, I can think of many very positive aspects of having internet in the vehicle, if people use it properly.
hmmm.. doesnt seem to have pinned this on the right thread.. well.. i look like a dumbass
if you mod me down, Darth, i shall become more powerfull than you can possibly imagine.. f33r |\/|1 |\|3g4+v C4r|\/|4
If you cant figure out what was refered to with "WHAT" using the context of the sentence, then maybee you should learn some English. No, we dont all babble like GWB, but the monosylabic "y'all" is a hell of a lot simpler (and thus more practical than saying the yankee two sylable "you guys", especially considering "y'all" is not gender specific. O, and why dont you go fuck yourself, jackass!
http://www.sprintbroadbanddirect.com
(Or at least, they're trying to!)
Great, you thought people drove bad when they were talking on cell phones, just imagine what will happen when they're surfing for pr0n while driving.
Stupid Cheap Guitars
One option might be to consider MobileStar. They're rolling out public access points all over the U.S., using Proxim Harmony gear (an 802.11b or OpenAir FHSS PCMCIA card).
I think the cost is about $30 to $80 per month, depending on how many minutes one wants to sign up for. This is for speeds up to 1.5Mbps.
Great, this gives them another reason to steal my damn car! Unless they have the benze version where I carry the faceplate of my computer with me. I'll need luggage to carry my computer, radio, airbags, sideview mirrors, steering wheel, shit, I might as well walk.
.kb
Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right-- But They Make Me Feel A Whole Lot Better
As if I didn't have enough problems with the jackasses with their cell phones. You know it's going to be some dipshit in an SUV rear-ending you because he was E-Mailing someone in stop and go traffic...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?