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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.
people who use a businesses' air, light and even gravity?
They don't bat an eye at helping yourself to serviettes or sugar but a little juice gets a 'leeching' tag?
Geeze, you could have a cafe full of plugged in laptop users and still not have this cost you 25 cents an hour.
Dog is my co-pilot.
Back in January 1998, when a good hunk of Canada had no power due to an ice storm, I couldn't go to work because we had no power at the office. I also had no power at home, and was bored out of my tree.
So, I grabbed a pair of APC BackUPS 400s, threw them in a knapsack, and walked to the local pub (which DID have power). Plugged 'em in, had a few beers, walked home, watched TV; repeat.
I tell ya, though, my back was kinda sore. Those things ain't made to be portable!
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
Whenever I've visited a resturant, I've asked permission 99% of the time.. unless it's an emergency. (What's an emergency to you?) I've been turned down some times, but remind them you'll buy more, or *gasp* pay a dollar or two for the privelige.. Once in Arby's I was denied permission, and got a wierd look.. Then the manager thought better, said not to put the cord of the floor, and I bought food to go.
As far as cost goes, it shouldn't really be too much of a problem for many businesses, assuming they are charged on the same basis as the power companies do here in the UK. Companies (at least, the theatres I work in) are not charged according to the number of units used, but by the maximum amount of power they use during the billing period. For example, during a theatre show we use a hell of a lot of power, and the power companies takes this peak rate and charges us across the board at that rate. I don't know whether this is just limited to certain businesses.
If I'm having an overpriced cup of coffee at Starbucks and paying for WiFi, they damn well better let me plug in ...
what, 50 laptops? The point is, public-ish facilities that want or depend on public traffic don't lose much by being accommodating, and no doubt generate some good will among the lithium-ion set. The guy that uses a lot more paper towels or flushes twice in a public bathroom is chewing up a LOT more overheard than the lady who's trickle-charging her laptop (let alone her cellphone).
/.ing
I'd say the bigger cost is the risk of liability when one Starbucks customer trips over the power cord of another customer's laptop. You know, the one the user has stretched from the pillar in the middle of the room over to his table, where he's
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Good call. I don't know how's stuff in Yankeeville, but here in Brazil it's commonplace in airports, for example, to have tables with lots of electrical outlets specifically for the purpose of charging cellphones and laptops for on-the-go users. No charge. And it's not even inside a coffeehouse or whatever, it's clearly marked at the waiting room.
I guess courtesy is out of order at the good ol' US of A.
(and no, this is not a troll, more a rant...)
Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
Here in the UK Virgin has been putting power outlets for charging up phones and laptops next to all the seats in their new trains.
So you could go on a pleasure trip and charge up (but given the state of the UK rail system that might not be a good idea if you need to make it to something on time. )
Philip
Signatures are broken
Cellphones, ipods and even portable computers are not that power hungry that it would matter. I consider using the power outlets included in what I pay for coffee, airport tax or whatever. Just like I don't pay extra for breathing air from businesses' ventilator systems (which probably costs more than the power). If some business doesn't like me charging my laptop, I choose to go elsewhere.
For reference, my portable computer's battery is rated 14.8V, 4400mAh. That roughly equals 65 watt-hours. The biggest cost of electricity I found is 9 cents per kWh, so filling the battery from empty to full would cost less than 0.6 cents. I will gladly pay 0.6 cents extra to use my laptop wherever I go, if asked for.
I think there is another important issue: safety. If your device short circuits the airport power network and then it takes 20 minutes before someone finds the circuit breaker then people are not going to be happy. And what if your device screws up someones laptop? (I know this is _really_ unlikely) The UK solution is that all electrical devices plugged in any sort of public socket (e.g. libraries) should be tested for safety, whenever they're more than one year old.
I'd imagine that airports have two or three different level of electricity grid one for the "totally essential" and one for all the shops adverts and Christmas trees.
As for the electricity bill: if I'm at the airport and everything is running on time then batteries in my laptop last long enough. If my flight gets delayed by 7 hours like it did the last time then I feel I have the right to use some electricity, for all the airport taxes I have paid. Even if that means unplugging some Christmas tree.
And if any employee of the airport wants to come and argue about this then he's welcome: I have 7 hours to spare and I'm pretty annoyed to begin with.
My friends and I would specifically go to Denny's instead of the IHOP across the street, because they had a booth with an outlet. We would plug in and watch movies while we ate and hung out. It was 3am so nobody minded us hogging a booth, and the manager would come and sit with us and watch the movie when it was slow enough or the movie was good enough. We cost them $.50 in electricity and made them much more than that in business. I don't feal guilty for it....and the manager never minded....
I own Node Coffee Shop in Milwaukee, WI (open 24 hours). When I built the cafe I had the electrician put in quad outlets every 6-8 feet around the shop so that customers would never have to fight over a power outlet. Every seat has an outlet. No other cafe in the area can boast that kind of setup. I dont believe it costs us very much more as far as operating expenses go, but it does increase our profits as we get a lot of customers who come to our establishment because we have such great access. Check us out if you are ever in the Milwaukee area! http://www.nodecoffee.com/
i'd say (without RingTFA) that a lot of the concern is just that you do sit there and drink only 2 coffee's in a hour. at 3 pounds/euros/dollars, it's not that same as if it was a bottomless cup of drip brew for 1 euro/dollar/pound. you are taking up a whole seat, but probably actually taking up a whole booth with your papers and laptop ... a booth that could better accomodate 3 people each buying 3 euro coffee's and only planning on staying for their cigarette, and going back to their workplace.
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i have a hard time believing that shops are concerned with the minimal ammounts of power cellphones and laptop requires, but when you camp out with them waiting for your device to power up fully, you are costing them 'geniune' revenue (unless you are producing it for them, by having a meal over that span of your two hours).
personally, not being able to smoke in coffee shops (most, in america i've found, especially the west [i call it the 'left'] coast) prevents me from spending any real ammount of time in them (20 minutes for two coffee's, and probably only one to go)
it's the same reason mcdonald's chairs are so uncomfortable: they don't want you there. not just you (the geek with the laptop), anyone. they want you to drive through, or eat and get the hell out, cause more people could be sitting there
It's a bit of a fuss about nothing. Quote: "Somebody's got to pay for that electricity." Yes, the customer. They might say "if everybody came in and did it..." well, for 12 hours, there are 10 people drawing 100W, that's 12kWh, that's about 70p for the day. Boohoo.
again, not about the electricity: and 40 pounds/hr lost to the booth(s) lost by people camping and treating a restaurant as a workplace.
now i fully appreciate all the wifi spots about, and places like that are fully EXPECTING people to stay put for a few hours (hourly wifi access), but shops with less than 15 chairs are not making a fortune (or possibly even survivng) by having you work in a corner all afternoon.
you can't have everything, where would you put it?
There's a friggin 24/7 coffee shop in MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN but I cannot find *any* here in the goddamn SILICON VALLEY. There is something seriously wrong with this picture. :P
"Heart of technology" my ass. This dump sucks. I'm going to Wisconsin!
I used to steal electricity.. at first it was just the occasional pocketful, but it soon escalated. Before I knew it I was running carloads of electricity across the border at a time, running a major smuggling operation and selling to some of the underworld's most shadowy consumers of electricity.. it's a slippery slope, I'd advise you to stay well clear
Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.
Restaurants definitely pay for their air.
The air you breathe is processed, filtered, temperature and humidity regulated. That costs money and customers are people who are willing to pay for "atmosphere" which usually does include special lighting.
They pay for water, for toilets, for square footage.
That gravity that's holding your ass to the seat, that's called "real estate". Underneath your fat ass is dirt and that is where the gravity comes from.
What's so far off the mark? Another poster noted that restaurants are in the service industry, not the food industry. He is exactly on target. Power is just another potential service that they can market just like any utility(service) company. Hell, they could even improve the power and advertise "uninterruptible" for a premium if they thought there was a market for it.
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
- W. Wriston, former Citibank CEO
For everyone who thinks this is OK, how about putting an extension cord out your window and publishing your address.
When I walk into someone's house with my laptop, I immediately plug it in. They don't mind. They invited me into their home, and use of all the facilities (bathrooms and power plugs included). When I'm invited into a business, I'm also given free use of the restrooms, so why not the power outlets as well? Use of the restroom is much greater cost than plugging in a laptop for the duration of my stay.
When you invite people into your house, do you charge them to use the bathroom? Do you charge them to get a glass of water? Would you charge them to plug in a cell phone? If so, you must not have any friends, if not, why would you expect to be treated more poorly when invited in by a business?
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