Mobile Users Plug-in Anywhere They Can

jasonla writes "The New York Times looks at mobile technology users who leech power from restaurant and airport outlets while on the road. The article looks at the habits and 'culture' of people who use portable devices -- such as laptops, iPods and cellphones -- and what the businesses think of power hungry customers." As interesting as the phenomena of customers leeching power from the businesses they frequent is the self-imposed etiquette of many users.

Comments

power leeching

[ajs318]

I'm not sure I'd use other people's power sockets without first applying my trusty AVO, maybe even an oscilloscope to check the frequency and waveshape; and even then, I'd always insist on using a well-filtered and surge-protected extension lead. Because I know exactly what I would do if I was the proprietor of a catering establishment where people were even half-likely to leech my power! In the olden days, when it used to be common for equipment to be housed in metal cases, I would just have swapped the phase and earth contacts in the customer area sockets. But today, I'd hafta settle for installing something like a Schaffner 2050 transient generator upstream of the wall sockets in the customer area, and cranking it up to its most extreme setting. Oh, yes, and I'd get another Schaffner and couple its outputs to a bunch of innocuous-looking RJ45s.

Re:what about the other leachers?

[danila]

This is bullshit. I don't ask explicit permission to use napkins, sugar or salt, I don't ask explicit permission to use toilet paper. It's just that salt and toilet paper was used for decades and everyone expects the restaurant patrons to use them. Electrical outlets were not used before as we didn't have the portables, but fortunately the outlets themselves were available.

Almost everyone realises that your customers should be allowed to use the outlets (except that one bitch waitress). Almost every customer realises that (even though it wasn't common 10 years ago) now you have the implicit right to get electricity from the restaurant. It's still not as obvious and rarely do establishments provide the outlets specifically for the clients, but overall it's pretty safe to say that there is already a consensus - you have the right to use electrical power in a restaurant (or anywhere else). Just like filling a bottle with water in the bathroom (when you need it for a long car trip or something).

It's called common sense and basic decency. Humans are able to live together without signing a contract everytime they need to pass gas or charge a cellphone.