Wireless Toronto...
I've been a computer user for about 25 years now, from the Vic 20 to the iBook. I've seen the technology evolve from its infancy, from its caveman days to its utopian mish-mash of wonders.
You would think in such an era of limitless information at our finger tips, technology would be leading us into a new age of civilization. But there's a slight problem, all the doors of this new Library of Alexandria are locked.
In 2004 I took the leap from the clunky old desktop model of computer to give the light portability of a laptop a try. Not only will I continue to buy laptops in the future, I also have found that there is no need to get an Internet account. The laptop has literally unhinged me from any wire constraints. I recently moved to Toronto from Charlottetown, which is quite possibly the smallest capital city in North America, and as small as Charlottetown is, it was a hive of open wireless signals. You could literally step out your door and find yourself connected to the Internet.
Now, one would think that when you move from a small downtown of maybe 10,000 to a gigantic city teeming with people, you would be inundated with thousands of wireless signals flying all about. While this is true, I also found that Toronto is a very closed system to wireless users.
I understand the need for security. I'm not naive to the fact that there are trojans and worms and other weird stuff attacking systems all over, but I also believe there is a need for this technological opportunity to be free . . . or at least cheap.
A friend of mine cited the city of Philadelphia as having a city-subsidized wireless network. Wireless Philadelphia “aims to strengthen the City's economy and transform Philadelphia's neighborhoods by providing wireless Internet access throughout the city. Wireless Philadelphia will work to create a digital infrastructure for open-air Internet access and to help citizens, businesses, schools, and community organizations make effective use of this technology to achieve their goals while providing a greater experience for visitors to the City.” I began to wonder why the biggest city in the country, with the largest number of Internet users per capita in North America, isn't set up with such a system.
I'm also aware that everyone doesn't have a laptop and that not everyone would want to pay for something that they wouldn't use . . . and to be quite honest I'm sure people are tired of being taxed to death. I do believe though that wireless users would be more than happy to pay a small fee to the city to help keep such a system going.
This doesn't only apply to Toronto. This applies to every city in North America . . . even Charlottetown. I am currently sitting in a coffee shop now with 6 signals around me, but I can't connect to any of them.
I have my contribution ready to put into this system, does Toronto?