Lilbro.net

Well, while there are a couple unsecured networks around me, I live close enough to the school too pick up their signal. My apartment is right on the edge of campus.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. I would really like to get the laptop, but it would take me a while to save that much money and I need to be able to get online with a computer before too much longer.
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Just a pocket full of dreams
and a heart full of God.

Well, what can be better than free access to the internet and a Crepe in the afternoon? And maybe a coffee. I really liked to go to that place. They had great food. Though, I never actually used the WiFi access. Unfortunately, they closed down on Monday. I was sad. But business was bad. They were only around for a year.

But yeah, I'm sure place with free WiFi access are pretty popular. They can be pretty useful.
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Every Day Is A Gift From God

That is sad when a favorite place goes out of business. We have one little walmart left here -- everything else is the mega Supercenters. They are now building a Supercenter to replace the little Walmart -- I will miss it -- I like to shop there.

Well Oogy I am really anxious for you to have the internet as well. I look forward to knowing what you decide.

Oogy could you send something to my Wii -- just xxxx will be fine -- I had it off for quite awhile and I haven't even gotten 1 Mii for my parade since I have been plugging in the connector -- I just want ot be sure it is working.


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Lead me Lord and I will follow

Well LES, it's something of a trickle-down effect.

The ISP (Internet Service Provider) sells a person an Internet connection. This connection is hardwired through a cable and then the people buy a wireless router and make a wireless network (short range, only a couple of hundred feet at the most) in their house.

From the ISP's perspective, they are selling Internet to one family, for one family's use. Now if the family allowed everyone else in the neighborhood to use their Internet, the ISP would be providing Internet for all of these people, which would take up a whole lot more bandwidth than a normal family would use. The ISP would be losing money from providing Internet to each of these families and the cost for the family who /is/ paying, eventually is driven up.

Similarly, if a family is buying Internet and someone is "leeching" off of them, it takes up some of their bandwidth. I don't know if you've ever had more than one computer hooked up at the same time, but if you do, then one computer is using part of the total bandwidth, and another computer is using another part. Say you have high speed Internet but there are ten people using the same connection, "stealing" from your wireless network. Basically, your Internet that you are using would work a tenth of the speed you are paying for, because while the total bandwidth is what you're paying for, you're not getting it, other people are splitting it with you.

And again, these people who don't pay for Internet, end up making it more expensive for those who do pay for Internet.

It's like an all you can eat buffet.. only all of your neighbors come in too. As you get a plate of food, they all eat it with you. You get less food per trip because you only get a tiny portion of what's on the plate. So you go back for seconds, thirds, fourths, etc. and finally become full. Only one person paid for the meal, but 10 people ate and were full. The buffet place will probably enforce rules then, but for the sake of the analogy, the buffet place will say "boy! That person sure ate a lot, we're going to lose money if we have to serve all of that food, we'll have to charge more.

With Internet, there is only so much "speed" you can have on your plate at one time. If people are "eating" it with you, they are stealing, and the ISP (like the buffet restaurant) ends up giving out far more "food" than they had you signed up for, so they will have to charge more or lose money. Nothing is really free, Internet doesn't just float in the air, it has to go through cables eventually and an ISP only has so many cables to carry a signal. If too many people are using their Internet, they will have to buy more cables etc.

Internet isn't like radio, where signals are broadcasted everywhere and everyone can pick it up, when you enter in a web page address, that signal is directed to you and you alone, and you are requesting that signal.

Rather a long explanation but does it make sense?
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As we learned in Narnia....

I am not that uninformed about all this Logan. As you know we do have 2 computers ( both on separate phone lines ) -- we are about to get a third -- I want a laptop. We do use dial up so we do not have personal experience but shall soon, hopefully we will have a faster connection.

I do understand your point but I am still a little unclear as to whether I would call it stealing. It seems that some responsibility should be placed on the consumer to provide safe guards. Before we make the change and set up a wireless network for our home we will inform ourselves ( the most of the responsibility for that will fall on HR but I am reading and listening and learning ) and be responsible consumers.

Thank you for your very clear explanation.


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Lead me Lord and I will follow

Oh I see. Yes, responsibility is placed on the consumer and you really are supposed to have your network secured (with a password). Which is why some people think that if there is an unsecured network, the people who didn't secure it deserve to have some of their bandwidth taken. I guess they would look at it as though
"Hey, my neighbor put an Internet connection in my house!"
Then there are some people that would say that if you go to a coffee shop parking lot and don't buy anything but just check your e-mail, then you are stealing. I'm not sure I would go as far as that, these are public places that provide Internet to the public, not a private individual who is purchasing it for his family.

But anyway, that was my take on the whole thing. I have used unsecured networks before when I couldn't access another one, but I felt very conscientious about buying my own, for my own use. And I know I certainly wouldn't want anyone leaking off of what I had paid for, and slowing my connection down, so my connection is secured :)
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As we learned in Narnia....

No question stealing is wrong. I would never try to impose on or steal from anyone. I did think about exactly what you said about using a wifi device in a parking lot of a place that provides free wifi. I suppose it is a situation that needs to be considered. I do not use anything wifi except my little USB connector right here on my own desk so at the moment I am truly innocent. I did have my DS on one time when we were in town with that setting on that you use in ACWW after you throw a bottle in the water. Do you remember that I thought something had happened when someone sent me email about it. It turned out it was a friend of yours that had somehow gotten my bottle from your DS. If during that time of driving around with my DS on or in my purse if someone had gotten the bottle would I have been stealing someone else's wifi ? What if I had gone online while HR was shopping and played a game ! I did have a wifi signal. I did not play though.

If the signal is just floating around in the air -- how do you avoid a possible "theft " ! What about all of the
PDAs and such -- or people just walking down the street playing games -- my only point is that it seems a complicated issue. If I were lurking in some bushes outside someones house I think I would be what you described. A thief.

We clearly believe in paying our own way and would never purposely take something we did not own or purchased.

To me it is sort of like the water in our creek -- once it runs off of our property it is out of our control. It is not the same as coming on our property and catching fish in our pond.

Rest assured that when we get our laptop we will do our very best to never use anyone else's wifi. That being said I still find it a hard thing to control.

Just for the record I never did turn my DS on in town again.


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Lead me Lord and I will follow

Oogy -- there is no need to send me a test message -- the Wii is working fine, I have gotten some messages from Jonah, thanks anyway.
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Lead me Lord and I will follow

Oh I agree LES that there are some gray areas. Some people would say that whatever you pick up in the air that isn't encrypted is okay to use (because the people didn't encrypt it) but even many free Internet cafes have a password that you have to get from them. But in any case, would you not agree that there is a difference between walking around with your DS and actually sitting at home downloading a whole bunch of things? And I think the DS is supposed to pick up other DS signals and not really connect to the Internet.

I know you and HR are very honest and pay your way in everything. And are very generous to us as well when we come and visit. Thank you!

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As we learned in Narnia....

I am more than willing to agree -- I find it interesting but have never had to deal with it yet.

I am sorry to say we got some bad news this morning -- your friend Bribbs has a heart murmur. Not good -- he had xrays and lots of loving care this morning-- you remember Mike -- he was almost as upset as us. He has 2 medications and will take them from now on -- it is unclear how he will do he goes back for test on Tuesday to make sure his liver can tolerate the medications.. Mike is optimistic -- but he will not live to be an very very old dog -- but then he may surprise them and he can realistic expect 3 to 5 more years. He started coughing at
1:15 a.m. -- I sat up with him and had him at the vet at 7:30 -- he is a quiet fellow and spends most of his time on the couch anyway -- so who knows.. I am thankful for Mike and all of the loving care he got from all the folks at the clinic today. He got immediate treatment and he will get the best of care from us. I am very thankful to have him home peacefully asleep on the couch -- he has no worries -- that is one of the great things about dogs.

I had a little dog years ago that had problems that they said would eventually be fatal -- Mike reminded me how long Garcon lived -- we are optimistic that Bribbs will beat the odds too. ( of course I had already thought of that :) I felt like I needed to comfort Mike -- he said 6 year old dogs almost never have this -- Bribbs has a lot of friends. He is fortunate to have a Vet that is his friend.

He is such a good dog.

For today he is safe, loved and cared for -- that is all any of us can expect.

Wylie has been alone all morning and she is demanding my attention, I need to go and play with her for
awhile.


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Lead me Lord and I will follow