Slashdot Mirror
SF Cab Riders Can Now Surf the Internet
Ant sent in this SF Chronicle story about Yahoo equipping 10 San Francisco cabs with laptops and radio modems as an ad gimmick. I plan to add this feature to my limo pretty soon - and I'll run Linux, of course, which I'll bet the Yahoo cabs don't. Heh!
I don't know what they are useing in there cabs in SF, but it is possable to get full T1 speed over a wireless network, not just low 9600bps type rates.
Why is the message directly above this flamebait but this one isn't? They're saying the same thing.. the majority of cabbies don't speak english!
The only people that will be using this are geeks in San Francisco who already know how to use a computer. People don't have time to spend 15 minutes trying to figure out which mouse button to click. In fact, I am now convinced that Windows9x is the absolute WORST OS for a newbie to be introduced to. My mother who had very little computer experience (mostly DOS programs years ago) was completely baffled with the interface and was confused. My brother recently got his first computer and had absolutely no idea how to use it. From my experience I would think a Mac would be best suited to this application as they are simple to use and intuitive. I used to hate macs until I started to think about how they are designed. Easy to use is an understatement. Unfortunately my brother was not willing to pay $1500 for a computer system when he could get a PC running Windows98 with a 17" monitor for $700. iMacs should be priced around $500 not $1200 as an entry level system to compete in this market!
why flamebait? it's mostly true
maybe he uses the taxi radio thing somehow, he wouldn't pay for anything then.
As someone who takes a cab in SF nearly every day, I can attest to the fact that you aren't gonna get much work done, the ride is so rough. Besides, the city is small... you aren't gonna spend more than 10 minutes in the cab. Instead, I wish that they'd get all the cabs and busses tracked by satellite and positions posted to a web site.
I heard about these Yahoo cabs this week during one of the local news segments. Last night, I saw one during the Friday Night Skate (www.cora.org). Wacky paint jobs (purple cabs with Yahoo logo).
Bull. I have a 4Mbps connection to my place of work which has a DS-3 for absolutely free. I set it up and configured it, it's mine. Set your own wireless network up that way you don't have to become a "consumer" in that regard.
http://www.oklahoma.net/~jswin/cracks.htm
ok... Who is biting hands?
Run a window manager that looks like Windows, and put a Netscape icon on the desktop. Most people should be able to figure that out. You could even put a "Kill Netscape" icon on there that executes "killall -KILL netscape" for when Netscape locks up. It would help to make the desktop icons (and Netscape config files, window manager configs, etc.) immutable so people don't delete or change them.
It also possibly sounds a bit dangerous perhaps. Those who unthinkingly leave cookies might have others using those same services, logged to their account, after they leave the cab.
If you were using Linux, you could set up Netscape (black-on-white text, don't accept cookies) and then make the config files (including the favorites menu) all immutable. You could even mount the drives read-only, then you can just hit the reset button between customers without worrying about disk corruption.
This would be harder on Windows 9x (because it has no security), but you might be able to do something similar if you used NT.
I dunno....I just read an article about Linux being most popular in India. And we all know where the highest percentage of cabbies are from :)
No they aren't, they are running FreeBSD!
While I wouldn't have put it so bluntly, I have to say that this is one of the most moronic stories posted recently. Actually, it wouldn't have been so bad if not for the "and I'll run Linux, of course, which I'll bet the Yahoo cabs don't. Heh!" This is irrelevent and an unintelligent cheap shot at cab drivers who have no reason to use a geek oriented operating system. (I have nothing against linux, just against the notion that everything in the world should run it.)
i was in england in may/june, and half the cabs (hundreds, probably) in london were equipped with uplinks.
I'd *really* like to get my cellphone [1] and laptop
to talk to each other, but it seems that
1) Cables are very hard to find.
2) Software is, of course, windows specific.
Has anyone been able to get this working? How
fast are the data rates? I actually see a small
market for a cell phone/ethernet gateway so
people on boats can read their e-mail. I've
been told that cellular signals travel pretty
well over water.
-- cary
[1] Sprint PCS (The I****s here in DC shut
down their GSM system. So Washington DC is
the only major capitol city where GSM phones [2]
don't work. Arrg. And remember what a crucial
role GSM phones played in Cryptonomicon!
[2] Yes I know the frequency is different, but
in theory you should be able to swap the identity
chip from phone to phone. Actually, not in
theory. I've done it (between Sprint Spectrum
phones).
While I'm in rant mode...
I'm really ticked off about the lack of GSM
adoption in the US. With GSM, if there are
competing carriers you can (I think) switch
between them at the push of a button. And (if
you swap the chip) they work all over the world.
Plus you can send and recieve SMS (short text
messages) to/from the phone.
The rest of the world understands the advantage
of standards. Europe is moving from many
analog systems to a common digital system. The
US, thanks to big business and deregulation [3]
is moving from one common analog system to
many incompatible digital systems. It doesn't
take a rocket scientist to figure out which
consumers win and which consumers loose! Arrg.
[3] I'm not 100% sure I know why this is happening.
(looking forward to spending 2 hours
of a wonderfull fall afternoon sitting on the
phone getting his cell phone switched from
GSM to sprint pcs. Arrg)
It's not 24/7, it's 8am to 6pm according to the page itself. But the story does say it's costing $1200 a week. Which makes me wonder, isn't there anything like Ricochet available for flat rate wireless in New York? A cell modem just can't be the most economical way to run something like this.
I bet a phrasebook on www.cabdriverspeak.com would get lots of hits.
--
Fuck the system? Nah, you might catch something.
Lets the cabbies take the scenic route without the :-)
passengers noticing.
I remember about 2 years ago a cabbie in SF had a ricochet modem and a laptop, and was trying to do something interesting with it. Lot cheaper than cellular... and i think the bandwith is better now, too.
Oh well, some ideas came before their time. In SF, how long are you actually ever IN a cab at once...
oh well...
9600? Ricochet runs at 28.8k/sec and is ramping up to 128k... And for full T1 over wireless, you're probably going to have to pay considerably more than $30/month.
How they allow you to post such shit is amazing, i think the posters on slashdot do a good job, you know this is fucking free dont you? what the fuck do you expect? i think it was brian hook who said at id, " dont bite the hand that feeds you, bitch". frankly im tired of anti-slashdot, anti-linux retouric, come up with something more intellgent, and stop bitching.
rob
"Are you satisfied with fucking?" - Dave Matthews from "Halloween"
I run an 11 Mbps wireless network. True, it helps when you own the hardware. Good thing I am the ISP. No wireless bandwidth charges.
Damned keyboard moves around on me. Anyway.
When I read this, the first thing I thought was that a whole NEW generation can now be familiarized with good ol' Travis Bickle, and that famous line can be altered from wiping the scum from the streets to wiping the spam from the servers.
Or maybe I've just been up too late watching Raging Bull.
s#
s#
I think you're missing the point. Regardless of whether it is free or not it's still an open forum, and comments on the stories posted are fine. Rob Malda has said in the past "Don't criticize slashdot, criticize me." I think that's a perfectly appropriate request, and the original poster of this comment did just that, chose not to criticize slashdot but rather to mention, rationally and with supporting arguments, that he felt it was an inappropriate and smug comment on a submission. It should also be noted that, while this is a nonprofit, that doesn't mean it is without money. Slashdot was acquired by Andover.Net for $4 million, a hefty sum. Roblimo works for Andover, in their TechSightings section, and so is being paid to do this job, indirectly.
Given that he is being paid, that he is making money by submitting these stories, don't you think it is fair to offer some criticism?
I should also note that "quadong"'s post was much calmer, and much more rational than yours, which has the word shit once, fuck twice, and bitch twice. IIRC, quadong even criticized someone else for posting a comment attacking Roblimo in this manner, and I see no reason that you should be afforded any different treatment.
Calm down.
Regards,
-efisher
---
this
Actually.. I've got a dtk computer because one of my neighbors got mad enough that he kicked the snot out of it and gave it to me...
Their web site is http://www.dtkcomputer.com
Hi, did i not make myself clear? I am neither anti-linux nor anti-slashdot.
I love the idea of linux, I think it is great that it exists. However, your average cab driver (and indeed, average computer user in general) has better things to do than to figure out how to install and use it. Let's face it, linux is not intuitive, windows is. I have linux on my system, and I might even use it frequently, except that there are no drivers out there yet for my video and network cards. Once linux becomes as easy to use as windows, then people can feel smug for running it. At the present, running it may make you a more knowledgeable computer person, but it does not make you superior to people who use windows.
If I was anti-slashdot, I wouldn't take the time to read it and post replies. I was simply speaking my opinion about what I felt was an inappropriate post.
I should point out that slashdot is free the way televison is free. Both are funded by advertisers. If I cannot critisize slashdot, then logically, I cannot complain about anything on TV either.
And lastly: "How they allow you to post such shit is amazing" It's called free speech. The system exists as it does so that people can say whatever they want, even to the point of flooding profanity. If you want an open forum, don't tell me what not to say, but instead tell me why I am wrong. Swearing at people doesn't promote the exchange of ideas, but intelligent arguments do.
Well, actually... :)
:)
... no wait....... :)
My laptop runs (debian) linux very happily. It installed more flawlessly then my desktop the year before.
Its an obscure model of a company I'd never heard of before - and haven't seen since.
Dtk/486. No network problems. The only thing was the mouse.
But I'm trying to picture these cabs running KDE, who's kfm seems to be allergic to slashdot (both computers I've used KDE on have trouble loggin in to slashdot on the first attempt.).....how can you live without slashdot when you're in a cab?
Front plate on the cab:
Powered by Yahoo! Linux!
OFTC: By the community, for the community
...does that make it a hack-me cab?
I, nutt, am now coining a new phrase for the next millenium...here goes: "Backseat Hacking"
:p
There are obvious security problems involved... could you imagine the problems with IE5 autocomplete/password store?!?! And since every idiot in the world seems to have AOL, they'll all be checkin http://netmail.web.aol.com... you could hop a cab with a floppy in your pocket, and leave with 10 accounts... LOL
And yahoo finance....
Cookies would be a major problem.. these are the same problems that public libraries and such are having...
Well, good thing linux doesnt have IE.
Imagine installing Back Orifice on a cab comp... geez!!!!!! woa.
It wont take long till they all realize this...3...2...1
-------
i was going to say that if some one hadn't yet.
Because the message attacks windows - which is good on slashdot. Even tho over 90% of PCs on the planet run Windows, and MOST servers run Windows - it's still cool to announce Windows crashes even though
1) MacOS crashes even more and noone complains
2) Windows catches a process crash != Windows crashes.
3) BSOD FUD is becoming tiresome. Core Dump is more fun.
But at the same time, given the speed of the internet and a cab ride, do you think that any one will get more than 3-4 pages on any ride? What would be cool is if they put browsers on busses, so we could surf on hour long bus rides.....
-- Moondog
A service like this is much more plausible in the bay area compared with other parts of the country due to the ricochet modem service. Ricochet's service is a flat unlimited use rate, and the speed is reasonably fast. To cover the entire bay area, Ricochet actually puts their transmitters in street lamps, so they eliminate the huge towers cellular service has to deal with. So, I think Roblimo and other taxi drives will have to wait a while before Internet rides are feasible in other parts of the country.
Sig goes here
"Help, my taxi crashed!"
I have linux running on several laptops and I've never come across a laptop recently that couldn't be made ot run linux. The worst I've seen is the laptop I'm using now, which won't do sound under linux due to the neomagic sound card.
All these machines are immensely stable, as stable as any desktop I've setup linux on.
What browser plugs are missing? I have real player, java and flash all working properly on my linux laptop. What else would you add? QuickTime, I suppose, probably an mpeg player, but I don't see how lacking those "ruins" the experience.
Hmmm... Net surfing in a speeding taxicab. If you crash, does that refer to the browser or to the cab itself? Or does that depend on what city's cabbies are driving?
- -Josh Turiel
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
Second, the average joe-schmoe on the street isn't comfortable with X. Everybody knows windows, so they'll feel warm and fuzzy using it, and using it is what they want. They don't want people going "Wow, that LOOKS like netscape, but I don't get any of how the rest of this stuff works..."
Plus I've yet to see a good collection of browser plug-ins for linux, which can really ruin the surfing experience for someone.
Nope, this is one of those "Linux not for the desktop yet" issues. For the average user of this service, windows is still the way to go. Don't like it? Fix the problems. :)
They'll run FreeBSD, like the rest of Yahoo. ;)
Those poor cab drivers will probably need to bone up on their tech if they're running Windows in their cabs. Can you imagine the guy in back asking "Hey, what does this do?" "Why is the screen all blue?" "What's an exception?" That's too much disctraction for the poor cabbies. The ones who don't speak english are better off, actually.
Hey! They should put a guide in the back. "What to do when the computer stops responding".
What a coincidence. Right before I saw this story I heard a segment on CBC Radio's Basic Black about a man in Aspen, Colorado who owns and operates the "Ultimate Taxi." In addition to an internet connection, there is fog on the floor and crazy lights, including a laser, all over the place. Apparently the driver also sings and plays music on an in-car keyboard and MIDI drum kit. Don't ask me how he does this while driving -- you'll have to watch the MPEG movie. Geez, and I just wanted to get home!
/. account mysteriously disappears?
Don't you hate it when your
I once participated in setting up a box to play MP3s in a bar. It was supposed to be operated by drunk clueless people, and it ran Linux. Why ? Because when it booted, it booted up an X server with a nice background image and an MP3 player. No window manager, no logins, no start buttons, no nonsense.
By the way, it also booted from the network, so there was no need to fsck if people power-cycled it.
In fact, it worked really well. There was no way people could minimize/close the MP3 player, and even if they managed to do so, a simple power-cycle would bring the box back up and functional in less than a minute.
You don't need notepad to surf the web, especially not in a cab. I'd go with an OSS anytime, if I had to set up such a system again.
It sounds like they thought of theft alright, but I'm not sure they are ready for the abuses that public devices suffer. Looked at a phone booth or bus stop recently? How many drunks tossing their cookies into the keyboard will it take before replacement is required? I won't speak of other sources of bodily fluids.
Then there are the people who just think it's lots of fun to configure black text on black background and similarly hilarious stunts.
And the old favorite, lets see who can leave the most disgusting screen for the next customer game. Who may of course be a child. Best reboot 'tween customers I think.
It also possibly sounds a bit dangerous perhaps. Those who unthinkingly leave cookies might have others using those same services, logged to their account, after they leave the cab. Remember to logout from Yahoo mail, and to *not* check "save password." Remember, this allows console access, so security is meaningless. You need to deal with password catchers and copies of BO2K thoughtully left by customers for the next victim.
I suspect that after a short time, cabs will provide a place to connect your laptop if you wish, but will make no attempt to supply one.
This guy put a Webcam, laptop, and cellular modem in his taxi. Since it runs 24/7, I'm sure that his cell phone bill is through the roof.
echelon: FBI CIA NSA IRS ATF BATF Malcolm X
Militia Gun Handgun MILGOV Assault Rifle Terrorism Bomb
i dont display scores, and my threshhold is -1. post accordingly.
Discuss
9. "I'm 128-bit encrypted. It's safe to give me your money."
8. "Fast? My nickname at the cab company is T3!"
7. (Running Microsoft) "Where do you want to go today?"
6. (Running Linux) "Watch me ride at the speed of a charging penguin!"
5. ("In" driver) "W3r r u h3adin???? # pr0b13m0!!!!!!"
4. "What address? Sorry, lady, that's a 404!"
3. "I'm gonna try to get to the superhighway."
2. (Overdoing it) "www.thankyouverymuch.com!"
And the top reason Internet-savvy cab drivers say...
1. "Ever heard of the Blue Windshield of Death?"
"There is no surer way to ruin a good discussion than to contaminate it with the facts."