Wireless Grab-bagging
May 15, 2004
This morning I had to take my car in for service and an oil change, an ordeal which usually lasts just long enough for boredom to set in; so, I went prepared. I collected together my laptop, two books and a magazine and set out for the dealership.
As soon as I handed over my keys, I immediately cracked open my laptop to determine how much time I had left before I would have to tether myself to the wall for power. While contemplating life without the internet (a very painful thought indeed), an idea crossed my mind, "I wonder if I can get a wireless connection in here?" "Do car dealerships even have wireless connections?" Before I could think twice, I was already at the console issuing the command:
/sbin/iwlist scanning
Sure enough, two cells! I could already feel the wireless signal running through my veins. I checked the listed entries and sure enough, there was one reading "Encryption key:off". I simply updated my network scripts with the new ESSID, issued an /sbin/ifup eth1, and I was pinging google.com! I felt like I had just won the lottery, even if it was only a scratchoff ticket from 7-11.
I present to you the newest fad in tech culture. Remember, you heard it here first, folks!
- wireless grab-bagging
- The insidious art of fishing for a wireless connection in an unplanned or unexpected location.
It is sort of like an adventure, and the treasure is in finding an exposed connection. Of course, it comes with a nice little perk in that you can waste away your time browsing weblogs like this from virtually anywhere, even when you least expect it, from a car dealership. ;)
Posted at 07:54 PM in Technology | 
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