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Why You See 'Free Public WiFi' In So Many Places
An anonymous reader writes "Almost anywhere you go these days (particularly at airports), if you check for available WiFi settings, you have a pretty good chance of seeing an ad hoc network for 'Free Public WiFi.' Of course, since it's ad hoc (computer to computer) it's not actually access to the internet. So why is this in so many places? Turns out it's due to a bug in Windows XP. Apparently, the way XP works is that if it can't find a 'favorite' WiFi hotspot, it automatically sets up the computer to broadcast itself as an ad hoc network point, using the name of the last connection the computer attempted. So... people see 'Free Public WiFi' and they try to log on. Then their own computer starts broadcasting the same thing, because it can't find a network it knows. And, like a virus, the 'Free Public WiFi' that doesn't work lives on and on and on."
Windows really *is* a virus!
Ah!
Have you heard about SoylentNews?
That's the SSID for my home wi-fi :-D.
You found me out... I was using it to make a chain of roaming broadcast nodes to beam PETA propaganda directly to your fillings. I guess now I'll have to use twitter.
Common Sense isn't as Common as people think...
Queue the picture featuring a pair of laughing girls.
Oh wow! Is it a big alot? Or a furry one? Is it friendly? I hear alots can be dangerous.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
That's like using a scope when you're shooting ducks in a barrel.
Well, no, it's more like using bait.
Your average hipster walks sits down in an urban coffee shop and opens his laptop: the first thing he does is look for a signal from which he can leech access. Free? Public? Sounds like it's free, a virtue of which your average hipster whole-heartedly approves. Public sounds good too: it's like natural or organic or community (as an adjective) or recycled or [x]-friendly or tolerant or sustainable or any other epithet that reinforces his hipsterish sense of righteousness. Naturally, the hipster connects and begins surfing and checking e-mail. MITM gets to read his e-mail and his web reading habits (organic hipster porn).
actually it looks just like an aswell, only smaller
Almost anywhere you go these days (particularly on slashdot), if you check for new stories, you have a pretty good chance of seeing a a duped story from another site. Of course, since it's a duped story (news site to news site) it's not actually news. So why is this in so many places? Turns out it's due to a bug in site moderators. Apparently, the way they work is that if they can't find a 'new' story, they automatically sets up their site to broadcast a duped story, using the title of the last story that was popular. So... people see this and they try to read it. Then their own favorite sites start broadcasting the same thing, because it can't find a good story on its own. And, like a virus, the 'Duped Story' that doesn't work lives on and on and on."
Al Qaeda web -at this airport- is another good one.
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
I was once called out for an emergency network repair at a local country club. A company had hired out the banquet room for a large business meeting, and could not get the wireless to work. When I arrived on site, I found that everyone in the room was connected to Free Public Wifi, being broadcast by one of the company owners' laptops. Turned out, the golf course did not have a wireless access point at all.
Microsoft *tortles again.
*Doing something which is legal, but shouldn't be. Example he tortled with her affections.
Anyone dumb enough not to know how to do their own brain surgery deservers what they get!
The easy part's getting the brain out. The hard part's getting the brain out!
Cogito, ergo sig.
Yup. It's tortles all the way down.