Want Some Coffee( or a beer) with that Net Connection??

Ah....the feeling of being able to browse the internet wirelessly. The reality of being able to sit down almost anywhere and being able to connect to the web is still not here but if this latest article by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online is any guide, there sure are a lot more places right now then there were just a year ago. And maybe I can get off my front porch at night just a bit more and head into Milwaukee and check out some of their wi-fi sites.


(picture of my stoop in front of my apt while using my wireless connection at night at home on a breezy warm evening a few nights ago).

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=430392

The article titled "You want some coffee with that hookup" talks about a few of the cooler places to "hook up" while out and about. I have tried a few of those places but there are actually a lot more of them in the Milwaukee area than I knew about....and I thought I was pretty good at sniffing those places out.

One of my favorite places to hang out when I am in Milwaukee on a day off is at one of the parks downtown that have the "city wide free wi-fi" connection available. I do not even worry about my battery running low as I bring an extention cord and hook up my laptop (if need be) to my car's power source to keep it running in the event that my battery (which lasts about two hours) starts to run low on the juice it takes to keep it going.

And now, thanks to the above article, I now have more places to hang out on a lazy summer day (or night) and there are a few that even are open and available 24 hours.
The 24 hour thing is cool for the nightowls of the world such as myself.

My apt. here in Racine is wired for "wi-fi" as well and there are lots of nights where I sit out on my front steps and browse the web. I even tested my connection one night by walking down the street in front of my place and I got close to 500 feet away from my place and I was still able to connect.

Unfort. there are not very many places yet here in Racine where one can connect wirelessly either for free or for fee.

My favorite hangout (Barns and Noble) has a wi-fi but in addition to the cost for some (you either pay an hourly fee or sign up for the "freedom-link" service through AT&T-I have AT&T DSL so my connection is included as part of my monthly phone service), the outlets are few and far in between and there is only one outlet in the area where my favorite comfy chairs are.

There is also Wilson's Coffee just a few blocks from my place but it seems to close early in the evening before I have even had a chance to get out and about. There connection is free and their coffee is pretty darn good also.

I hear Racine is trying to roll out "countywide wi-fi" and though it sounds like a cool idea, it will probably take a bit of time and in the mean time there really aren't too many real cool places like the ones in Milwaukee to go to.

I have often thought of trying to find some people who would like to "go in" on a concept such as the one that the "High Hat Cafe" or the "Node Cafe" in Milwaukee are doing. I think it would be a smashign success. Unfort. I do not have the financial ability to make that dream come true.
Unless that is if there is a secret benefactor out there that would like to help me realize this little dream.
My email is always accepting inquires....

A good weekend to all.