So I was checking out the latest spam from Apple about new features on the Ipod Touch, and while e-mail, maps, weather, and stocks on the go are cool concepts, the Ipod Touch requires a wi-fi network in order to supply this data. The problem with this is that when I need a map I’m probably in my car, nowhere near a wi-fi hotspot like Starbucks. Sure, there are plenty of free wi-fi hotspots in Indiana (and every other part of the country), but there never seems to be one nearby when you need one.
This lack of convenient wi-fi is a major roadblock in leading the sort of wired lifestyle that many of us would like to achieve and that devices like the Ipod Touch tease us with. This leads me to wonder what ever happened to the concept of free municipal wi-fi paid for with tax dollars? Maybe it’s the commie pinko in me, but I’ve always felt that information and the means to access information should be free. It makes economic sense as well, because as a nation, we’re falling behind the technology curve, believe it or not. In the future, more and more tech and computer jobs are going to be moving outside of the U.S. And since we’ve already shipped all of our manufacturing jobs overseas, we really can’t afford to lose out on our IT jobs as well.
Of course, even if we did have free wi-fi access, kids would probably only use it to update their Myspace profiles and contribute to the downfall of Western civilization by downloading the latest mind-numbing Youtube clips. Then again, that’s what I’d probably use it for too.
Oh, and if you’re some poor sap who found this blog post in Google while searching for free wi-fi spots in Indiana, I’ll go ahead and throw you a bone. Click here.
