Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

War Kayaking

Posted by michael on from the batten-down-the-access-points dept.

ptorrone writes "As the summer approaches, we crawl out of our protective wired covered lairs to sometimes partake in outdoor activity. Last weekend, we went kayaking around Lake Union in Seattle, WA and of course, we couldn't help but bring along a lot of equipment and decided we'd hunt for open wireless spots, this friends- was "War Kayaking" we found a ton, charted it with GPS, Wifi finders and we'll show you how we did it for this week's HOW-TO Tuesday. We also shot a video in the kayak, be sure to check that out too."

8 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. They forgot something by WormholeFiend · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The guys forgot to put some kind of floating device inside the baggies...

    Their PDA maybe protected from splashes, but if they drop it in the water, they'll need to do some war-scubadiving to get it back.

  2. Re:you're being too general by geordi177 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But if you were on the water, how many of the WiFi network owner's pet names would you know? The point is that the sheer number of open networks, while fun to browse and borrow bandwidth from, is a general problem with inexperienced users getting advanced technology.

    Everything should be secure.

  3. Yeah, that's why I go kayaking by kidlinux · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who cares about wifi spots out on the river? I don't jump in my kayak to go browse the web or check my email. I specifically engage in athletic and recreational activity to get away from all that crap.

    Honestly, this kind of thing is getting to be pretty sad. It reminds me of the commercial from Motomaster advertising their portable power supply (like a UPS for the outdoors.) It shows a family somewhere in the middle of a forest with appliances plugged in, and a kid on his friggin laptop playing games. I find myself asking "why did they leave home in the first place?"

    "we couldn't help but bring along a lot of equipment and decided we'd hunt for open wireless spots"

    Why not!? Leave your damn cell phones, PDAs, laptops and assorted other junk at home. Do you really need all that to enjoy the great outdoors? Does it enhance the experience in some way? I'd have a hard time believing anyone who told me as much. Sure, you can take video and thousands of pictures and show all your friends - maybe even do it live with all the hotspots - but you know what? People get so busy trying to "capture" the moment that they forget to enjoy it while they're there. Aside from which, telling a story and leaving it to your friends' imaginations is far more exciting.

    I realize I've deviated slightly from the topic. The point I'm trying to make is that I think a lot of people really need to unplug and discover the world outside of electronics. Leaving all that stuff at home is what really enhances the experience. All you need is yourself and your kayak.

    --
    -kidlinux.
    1. Re:Yeah, that's why I go kayaking by ptorrone · · Score: 3, Insightful

      i wouldn't say "hey, you should do this and that, bring electronics, never unplug, blah, blah" so why would you want to tell me what to do? i actually like to use technology in lots of places, it's fun for me. i never quite got why people would demand you "enjoy" something in a certain way -their way- and nothing else.

    2. Re:Yeah, that's why I go kayaking by at_kernel_99 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I realize I've deviated slightly from the topic. The point I'm trying to make is that I think a lot of people really need to unplug and discover the world outside of electronics. Leaving all that stuff at home is what really enhances the experience. All you need is yourself and your kayak.

      As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I agree in principle. I can't avoid, however, pointing out that they're apparently kayaking in downtown Seattle. Not exactly the great outdoors.

    3. Re:Yeah, that's why I go kayaking by lidocaineus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ..."Hey, I could have at least gotten items A or B done today, instead of lying in this hammock."

      Honestly, if you feel this way, you need MORE time away from your laptop. Being a human isn't always about getting something done.

      What I think the grandparent's point is is that we should never be slaves to our tech. While it's fun (and even applicable) during outdoor activities, we shouldn't lose an appreciation for what lies out there beyond what a JPG on a screen can give us. There's plenty of time to play with your new bluetooth GPS receiver, and there's also time to put it away and appreciate the awe of a huge cliff you hiked 2 days to get to.

  4. Re:Unencrypted by ptorrone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    although i think a lot of people do in fact do that, i however did not. i'd never send along info i cared about when doing something like, mostly because i'm the same person that would set up a "honeypot" to see what people would do :-]

  5. Re:Ummm by garymcg · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You must be new here....

    Seriously, I completely agree with the parent poster. I thought the whole point of outdoor leisure activities was to get away from laptops, cell phones, pagers, television, etc.

    I scuba dive, and it is a whole other world down there. A world with no cell phones, internet etc. where no one even knows exactly where you are. Well no one but your dive buddy, and even that's doubtful given his poor underwater navigation skills...

    --
    --If 50,000 people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.