"I'm sitting in the railway station, ticket for my destination..."

I fire up the laptop and check the WiFi connectivity. There are about half a dozen WiFi Access Points listed. Most of them are encrypted, however, there are two with strong signals that are open. The first is entitled something like publicwifi. It looks promising. I connect, to find that it isn't really all that public. It is public if you want to spend seven dollars an hour to access Wifi. I wonder how well they are doing with that. It doesn't seem to be part of any of the larger WiF vendor networks. To me, it isn't worth seven dollars. Would it have been worth two or three dollars? Maybe.

I recognize the need to make money. I need to make some money soon. Yet I wonder if trying to make money by selling WiFi at train stations is the way to go. For years, people charged for using bathrooms. This resulted in graffiti proclaiming, no dime to pee. Will WiFi reach that sort of infrastructure level that patrons of train stations will expect free wifi similar to the way they expect from water fountains or urinals? We shall see.

I check out another access point, some thing "south station wifi bubble". It is a small wifi bubble which is not connected to the Internet. It doesn't seem to be connected to anything, other than a single server. The server has a Wiki and a UBB based forum.

"and the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls, and echo in the sound of silence"

In many ways, it reminded me of the logbooks you find in shelters along the Appalachian Trail. I didn’t find any references of Frodo hiking end to end, but it did have a few great posts.

I added my two cents and moved on. Now that I’m home, I’m checking to see if anyone else has written about it, and this is the only piece I could find.

So, while I would like to have seen real public WiFi at Boston’s South Station, the South Station Wifi Bubble is well worth checking out. Next time you pass through South Station, fire up your laptop, and connect to the bubble. If you find something good there, copy it to your laptop and paste it to your blog.

Here are the two that I grabbed:

Entry 1

I want food. After an early flight from Baltimore, where I was pulled away from brunch with my parents to board a plane heading back to school, I sit here in South Station with a satiated stomach, and 45 more minutes to kill. The bus terminal just doesn't have the variety that the train terminal has, as does any food court that extends beyond the greasy hamburgers of McDonalds?. I had a steak and cheese with overcooked beef, and a non-Philly-style bun. Disapointing, but filling.

The airline lost my luggage. Because of the early flight, my bag didn't make it on the same airplane as I was on, and I feel lighter as a result. It is nice to have all of your things with you, knowing that what you brought is safely in your hands (Or over your shoulder), but the faith that the airline will deliver combined with the fact that the world just feels lighter is almost as nice. If only the rain coming down outside didn't add to the weight on one's shoulders...

Peoplewatching should be recognized as a national pastime. I sit here at this table, a precious commodity in a crowded train terminal, and watch. I watch the countless people walk by with all shapes and sizes of suitcases, I watch people flip through magazines half-heartedly as they wait for their trains, their buses; whatever vehicle that waits to sweep them ever closer to their destination. I also listen. I listen to the conversations of fathers and daughters spending time with each other before one departs from the holiday weekend. I listen to the constant rustle of bags being dragged, burgers being opened, and pages being turned. Every once in a while, this constant clamor is broken by the sound of a baby crying, the bells of the clock, or an announcer freeing certain slaves to further movement. South Station is a feast for the senses.

Ok, 15 minutes down, 30 minutes to go. Do I need to keep writing? Do I want to?

Sean (on the boards...)

Entry 2

My partner Dan and I are passing through on our way to P'Town, where we're going to attend a sort of gay bridal fair. We're getting married there this fall, and we want to talk to the various people involved in the wedding (and there are SO many.)

In a month or two, We'll move back to my home town of Bellingham, Massachusetts to establish residency for our marriage. (What a pain.) My Dad will hopefully not mind my moving back in after 25 years. ;-)

Dan and I have been together for over 17 years, and we've been engaged for 12. I proposed to him in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, near the Supernova Petroglyph.

Thanks, Massachusetts!

Coyote